


Green, Like My Insides

by MicheleBlack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Christmas, Demisexuality, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Harry Potter Next Generation, Love, M/M, Modern Era, Mystery, New York City, Pansexual Character, Romance, Slash, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Synesthesia, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 142,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22944727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MicheleBlack/pseuds/MicheleBlack
Summary: New York City, 2025: Teddy Lupin has established himself in the Wizarding Community as a predominant portrait artist. His life isn't perfect but it's his own. Until James Potter turns up at his Studio doorstep slowly inserting himself into Teddy's world. And now Teddy doesn't know if he ever wants to let him go.
Relationships: Teddy Lupin/James Sirius Potter
Comments: 225
Kudos: 147





	1. Color My World

A/N - This journey started with a simple idea - what if Teddy was an artist? Which led to - what does it mean to be a wizarding portrait artist?

And somehow the answer to that question ultimately developed into a love story.

This story would not be half of what it is today without my amazing beta WeakRevolution, who helped crack open Teddy’s story and mend it back together stronger than it was before. Thank you for treating this like your own and all your hard work to make Teddy’s story the best it could possibly be.

While mostly canon and epilogue compliant, this story is set in a world in which Rappaport’s Law was not repealed by the MACUSA - I needed to borrow it for plot reasons that will become apparent. 

For updates, comments, and general chat join me on [tumblr](https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/).

And now, ladies and gentlemen, New York City, 2025- 

* * *

**G** **reen, Like My Insides**

_“I'm color-coding my moods_

_You're_ _yellow,_ _I'm natural_ _blue_

 _Let's get together and be_ _green_ _like my insides_

_At least I'll match your eyes_

_Jealous and hypnotized_

_Let's match our faces and be equally in love”_

-"Stupid For You" by Waterparks

**Chapter 1 - Color My World**

Teddy looked down at his hands the day James Potter turned up on his studio doorstep. His hands that never changed, try though he might; his fingers with prints that refused to morph and re-form, and broad sideways nails that he could never fill with color unless he got paint on them. Palms half hidden beneath the fraying edge of his worn mustard-yellow jumper, he opened the door. His thumb rubbed along the frayed sleeve hem as James swept him up into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?” Teddy asked, breathless and surprised. 

“Is that anyway to greet your favorite person in the world?” James replied with confidence as he swept into the studio behind Teddy, a brown leather backpack slung over his shoulder and a matching suitcase floating at waist height trailed behind him. “Make that your favorite person in the universe?”

Teddy laughed, the sound almost foreign to his ears. “I’m just surprised is all. No one mentioned you were coming.” And he had received an owl from Harry yesterday.

“Well I wanted it to be a surprise, didn’t I?” James asked with his trademark grin that Teddy hadn’t seen in a while. “Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a few days?” he asked, moving further into the room. Teddy knew he wouldn’t say no, so he just nodded his head, shutting the door behind them both.

Teddy stood in the front sitting room of his studio, observing James as he surveyed the space with rapt curiosity. When he’d first set up his front room, Teddy had painted the walls a calming shade of yellow with grey moldings - old habits from his days at Hogwarts never died he supposed. A plush grey rug covered the concrete floor to ground the space, and a select number of his personal works lined the walls. Comfortable olive leather chairs sat along the front wall, and a section in the back for intaking clients with an older computer atop a dark wooden desk in the corner. James took a vested interest in the machine and rushed over, dropping his bags to the floor.

“Teddy! You have a vintage iMac? What is this, a 32-inch screen?”

“Merlin, James, you act like you’ve never seen a computer before,” Teddy teased as he walked over, “but yeah, it is. I have upgraded the hardware some, and charmed the old systems to work with updated software, but I’ve mostly been experimenting to see if I can create magical portraits digitally in Photoshop. It's a bonus that she keeps all my records and bookkeeping - way simpler than doing it by hand. So how long are you in town?”

James looked up from his inspection of the machine and tossed himself into the desk chair and spun around. “I’m actually not sure at this point,” he grinned and stopped the chair to look Teddy square in the face, “I’m working on a story. I know that everyone expected me to keep up the Quidditch thing, especially after this last winning season, but you know how that story goes. I guess I just felt like it was finally time to follow my heart and buck the expectations of ‘what-would-Harry-Potter’s-son-do’?” He made air quotes with his hands and kicked his feet up on the table. Teddy’s eyed the movement and the legs were quickly lowered and swept under the chair with a slightly apologetic smile. 

Teddy let out a soft sigh, his shoulders dropped as if the air was suddenly heavy. He’d followed James’ Quidditch career after his Hogwarts graduation when the Wynwood Dragons offered him a contract. Though a star in his own right, James had played second string for multiple positions, easily covering for different players when they were injured or out of the game. He recalled the papers proclaiming James to be the “Wonder Boy of Wynwood” more than once. 

But James had wanted to be a first string Chaser for as far back as Teddy could remember. He had complained multiple times over the past year about how unfair his Captain was being to keep him covering positions he had no desire to play. James’ general open unrest with his options had made Teddy well aware of the fact that he wasn’t long for the team and it had not come as a major shock to him when it was reported that the “Wonder Boy of Wynwood” had quit to become a journalist. 

While the rest of the world wondered if James had lost his mind or suffered one too many Quidditch injuries, Teddy knew that James had always loved writing as much as Quidditch. He had been happy to see James following his other passion. The whole affair had inspired him to hand sketch a ‘Congratulations’ card and owl it off, which, in turn, had prompted James to reply by sending him a picture of it framed on the wall of his new office. The accompanying note on the back of the image had read: “to remind me ‘the coolest person in the world’ is happy for me.”

Teddy was secretly thrilled James still said things like that. Even though they were in their 20’s now. Even if it probably wasn’t exactly true.

“Do you want something to drink? Water or tea?” Teddy asked. He really needed to buy more hot chocolate - he’d used up the last of it today not knowing James was going to turn up on his doorstep. “You must still be adjusting, what with the time change and all.” London to New York was still a five hours time difference, even if traveling by portkey got you from point A to point B in record time.

“I don’t suppose it’s too much to hope you have coffee?” James asked sheepishly. 

“We can get some on the way to my flat,” Teddy replied and headed to the back of the studio where he kept a small kitchenette, complete with an instant water heater for tea and a mini fridge. Heating and cooling charms were an option, of course, but his skills with those spells made the water taste funny so Teddy avoided them. Refilling his water bottle from the sink, he called back to James, “I have one more appointment with a client today, but then we can head out. In the meantime, make yourself at home.” 

He could practically feel the bright golden yellow smile that James was no doubt sending his way.

From his very first memories, Teddy always had a sense when it came to colors. When he was three and a half, he was given his first coloring book. Harry had brought it over, along with a box of crayons, and set it down on the kitchen table. Teddy had quickly grabbed for it and pulled out a blue crayon that his young magic reached out to turn turquoise, much to the delight of Harry and the scowl of his Gran. That bit of accidental magic had resulted in a crayon that was multi tonal blue, the two waxes mixing and resettling themselves back together. 

Teddy recalled opening the book to a page with a wolf howling at the moon and beginning to draw. The lines on the page hadn't felt right in places, so he'd started making new shapes all his own and putting color wherever it had felt right, using both hands interchangeably, excitedly spreading color across the page. This had prompted his Gran to spell the book so Teddy could only color inside the existing lines, an action that left a frown on Harry’s face. If he closed his eyes Teddy could still remember that look, and how later Harry had used it when he was upset or distraught at one of his own children.

Since Gran wouldn’t let Teddy draw what he liked in the book, he’d moved onto coloring the walls of his bedroom. They had been so white and plain and boring anyway. He’d added colors, so many colors, unconsciously changing his hair to match the color in his hand and humming along to the notes only he could hear as he did so. As if each color had its own frequency. At times he had used two crayons, one in each hand, to add color even faster. Once he had finished, he’d fallen back onto the floor. Looking up at his masterpiece, he'd been happy with the colors that had mingled together to cover the boring, awful, sanitary white. 

He’d lain there satisfied until his Gran had called for him down the hall. “Teddy!” He could remember her shock as she’d cracked the door open and found her perfect white walls destroyed. She’d frowned and without a thought spelled all his colors away, picking him up in her arms. “We don’t color on the walls,” she’d said with a stern look on her face, causing Teddy's hair to morph from turquoise to a mousy brown. When he’d started to cry, she had pulled him close to her chest. “Your mom would be so proud,” he’d heard her mutter as she had rubbed his back.

For his fourth birthday, his Gran had given him a special gift - a pair of white pajamas with a box of markers. “These are special markers,” he could remember her telling him. “They will let you color the fabric however you want.” Teddy had leaped into her arms and hugged her tightly, before turning his attention to his new gift. His other gifts, coloring books and brand new crayons from Harry and Ginny and a blank sketchbook and some quills and muggle paints from Hermione and Ron, had all paled in comparison to his Gran's permission to draw on something that was uniquely his to make colorful. His hair had turned a bright turquoise, as it did when he was happy, and he had started making plans right then. 

He'd been in the middle of describing his plans with youthful exuberance, in the way only a newly four year old could, when his Gran had laughed and said, "Could it at least wait until after cake?” Teddy had conceded - it was cake after all! But later, after the chocolate sugar high had long worn off, he had colored the back of the PJs with a pink and red rainbow and the brown shape of a wolf howling at the moon that he’d carefully drawn above the rainbow. Humming along he happily had made the collar and cuffs green and the rest of the boring white all kinds of wonderful colors with his new markers. He couldn’t figure out why his Gran had such a sad look on her face when she had spelled all the colors into place.

By the time he had turned five, his love for colors had evolved from simply the look and feel of the colors on the page to drawing shapes and sketching out people. Teddy had found an old photo album of his parents and had started to draw them as best he could in his sketchbook. He could remember not being very good, but had kept practicing his shapes. He'd been determined to draw until he could give his Gran a piece of art that made her eyes light up with happiness.

By seven, Teddy had begun to consider himself an artist. He could recall spending hours most days lying on the floor in his room drawing and redrawing old photos of his parents, wondering if they had been artists too. It was around this time that Teddy had realized he was more right hand dominant than left, although he still believed he did more things with his left hand than most other people did. Alongside that realization had come another that had stirred up his anxiety making him feel uncomfortable. 

Unlike with his hair and the rest of his body, his hands refused to change. Nothing below the wrist on his right hand and the knuckles on his left hand would change, no matter how hard he’d tried. And he had tried. He would concentrate on changing his fingerprints, his finger shape, the color of his nails, but the only change that ever came was the ink-stains they had picked up by the time he was done drawing. It worried him, but he’d kept this part of himself hidden at first, especially whenever he'd described his plans to become an artist - which he could remember talking about often to whoever would listen. For his part Harry had encouraged his godson’s ambition, while Ginny would look on slightly disappointed. Hermione and Ron would buy him the best art supplies, even if Hermione would smile apologetically at his Gran with each new delivery. His Gran would just smile and shake her head to indicate it was all a phase and Teddy would grow out of it.

But Teddy never did grow out of it.

“Oi - Teddy!” he heard James call, snapping him back to reality, "Someone's here to meet with you!"

Teddy made his way back to the front of his studio just in time to hear a woman proclaiming “...Harry Potter’s SON! Oh - my daughter will be so jealous I got to meet you, she saw you on the cover of Witch Weekly a few issues back and cut out your pictures for her wall. I think you might be her lock-screen picture too - oh, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. I’m just excited to meet you. I never expected to see you in New York, today must be my lucky day! Do you think we could take a selfie? Oh, my daughter will just die...” she trailed off as she turned to dig into her purse, her long bright blue robes matched her eyes and were embroidered with colorful geometric patterns and that parted to reveal the long black maxi dress she wore underneath and a princess-cut sapphire hung around her neck. She smiled, a lilac purple to Teddy, as she pulled out her phone and held it out towards James. 

Teddy looked on, slightly horrified, but James just smiled and came around the desk, taking the phone from the woman. “What’s your daughter’s name?” he asked, flashing a carefree smile.

“Marie,” the woman replied, a little breathless, as she stood very close to James’ chest.

“Well, Marie,” James said staring into the phone, “I met your amazing mum today and thought to capture this for you,” he smiled down at the woman pulling her into the frame, her shoulder length brown hair bobbing as he pulled her in and waved at the screen. “Nothing but the best for my biggest fans,” he gave the camera a final smile and handed the phone back to the woman, message complete.

Moving forward, Teddy decided this was the moment to interrupt before any more harm was done, not that James seemed to be too flustered. Indeed he looked, amused? 

Taking two steps further into the room he cleared his throat, “Hello Mrs. Roche, I presume? I am delighted you could meet with me today.” Teddy hoped his client didn't hate him for ruining her moment with James, but she had booked her appointment for a reason - to discuss her potential portrait order. 

But then he also knew that it wasn't always top priority for everyone else, as he had been told enough times when he was still in a relationship with Victoire, “You focus too much on your art - it’s not everything. But it’s all you ever care about.” Even though years had passed, those words still played in the back of Teddy’s mind.

By the time he and Victoire had started dating, his art had become paramount in his life and thus a point of contention, in a long list of many, between them. Teddy hadn't been able to deny how much of himself was devoted to his art, but he also couldn't accept the idea that he couldn't have a relationship alongside his desire to color the world. He'd reply again and again that whoever was with him had to understand that "his little drawings" were his first love. But she would never listen, and their relationship never stabilized. By the summer after his 18th birthday they had had a pretty ugly parting at one of the Potter-Weasley gatherings. Teddy felt Lily might have been more affected by the breakup than even he had. 

"But- But I've seen it!" Lily had cried, “I saw you marrying into the family.” Teddy had given her a hug, stroked her hair, and told her that he and Victoire just hadn’t been working out for a while. 

And truly his heart hadn’t been Victoire’s anyway, he thought privately. After all, as she’d proclaimed many times over the years, “his heart belonged to his art.”

Mrs. Roche, still slightly keyed up from the experience of meeting James, tucked her phone into her purse as James backed away. She blushed and looked at Teddy, who was at least ten years her junior. “Please,” she insisted, holding out her right hand to shake his. “Call me Stephanie, Mr. Lupin.” 

Teddy reached out with his hand and gripped hers in what he hoped was a firm handshake. Her nails were long, pink, and freshly manicured. A diamond of considerable size on her wedding ring caught the light as she dropped his hand and continued, “You are an incredibly difficult man to get a session with so the pleasure is all mine.”

Teddy nodded and motioned for her to have a seat. Many of his clients waited two or three months to get in for his initial consultation. These days Teddy could afford to be selective about his clients - he didn’t grant a sitting to just anyone. That was what the consultation was for: to separate those whom he wanted to have his name attached to from those he’d rather not immortalize on canvas. 

“Well, Mrs. Roche - Stephanie,” he said offering her a smile, logging onto his computer and pulling up her intake form. “It says here you’re looking for portraits as graduation presents?”

“Yes, my daughter Marie is going to be graduating from Ilvermorny in the spring,” she said. “She applied for the Magical Exchange Program and got an exclusive spot working at Beauxbatons as their Transfiguration aid. She’s been really taken with French you see, has been studying it from a young age, and she, well my husband and I, thought this would be an excellent opportunity for her to figure out her next steps towards a career.”

Teddy smiled - he held a soft spot for supportive parents.

“Anyway, with the distance I thought it would be nice to have a piece or two commissioned, one of my husband and I for her to take with her, and one of her for us. I know it’s a more old-fashioned request, but we’re, well, older-blood, Mr. Lupin, going back a few generations now. And tradition is important. My parents had my portrait commissioned before I graduated and I always thought there would come a time in my life where I would want a second one done, and your reputation precedes you.” At this point she trailed off looking up at Teddy’s face, a slightly hopeful expression lingering behind her eyes.

Teddy glanced at the notes he had from her application form on his computer. It basically told him the same story but he always liked to hear from his clients directly in their own words. He knew he would be moving forward in any case: the majority of his commissioned pieces were portraits of those near-death, whether it was simply old age or an illness. With most wizards preferring the instant nature of photography, especially with how widespread phones had become with the wizarding population, as a way to capture their likeness these days, the opportunity to paint a forty-something couple and their seventeen year old daughter held great appeal. It could be a fun project and an interesting challenge, an opportunity to expand his portrait portfolio. 

Teddy’s love of portraits had begun the moment he’d stepped into the halls of Hogwarts as an eleven year old artist. By the time his Hogwarts letter had come, he’d filled countless sketchbooks with colors, shapes, and people and had tucked away his latest, half-full sketchbook at the bottom of his school trunk, even though his Gran had encouraged him not to. He’d been going through a phase of drawing wolves and dogs, and Harry had gotten a strange, faraway look in his eyes when Teddy had shown him before boarding the Hogwarts Express. 

At Hogwarts, Teddy might have had concerns about being sorted into Hufflepuff. He might have had concerns about making friends or doing well in his classes. But mostly Teddy had concerns about the Hogwarts portraits. They were everywhere, all over the school, and they fascinated him. He had grown up with moving photographs but this was a new thing entirely. 

Teddy knew that the Blacks had moving portraits but couldn’t really remember seeing one growing up as Harry and Ginny had long ago scrubbed Walburga Black off the wall at Grimmauld Place, so Teddy would spend hours sitting in the halls and corridors of Hogwarts asking them questions and redrawing them in his sketchbook. He would ask them all kinds of things like “did they remember getting painted?” and “what did being a portrait feel like?” More often than not, they had no good answers for him about the magic behind their creation, especially the non-human subjects.

At some point, Teddy realized, his life had become a never-ending quest to uncover the magic of portraits.

His gaze moved back to Stephanie but not before catching James in the corner looking at him with something unreadable that Teddy briefly wondered might be encouragement.

“How about I do you one better?” he ventured. “How about if I create two linked portraits, that way all three of you could move back and forth between them anytime your likenesses desire?” He felt his own excitement building as he offered, watching the woman’s face light up.

“Oh! That sounds wonderful, Mr. Lupin! I hadn’t even considered it a possibility.”

“Well it certainly is,” Teddy chuckled, feeling James’ golden smile from the corner of the room. He wasn’t used to having people sit in on these consults and watching him work, and James was proving to be a good distraction. He refocused and continued.

“If you would like to proceed, I'll need the three of you to all come in collectively for the first and last of the three sessions. For the portrait sittings your daughter can come separately if she chooses. All the sessions can be booked on my WizNet site or through owl if you’d prefer. Most of my clients are on WizNet now but I still like to offer the option. The first session will be for color matching and paint assessment: I will collect the samples I need and have the paint custom mixed with the appropriate spells. The second session will be the longest of the three; you will sit for the portrait being created. I try to make this as painless as possible but,” _—_ he waved his hands _—_ “these things take some time. The third session will be the final spells for memory transfer and integration as well as the portrait linking spells. Do I have your permission to take some creative liberties with the backgrounds or were you looking for something more traditional?”

Stephanie turned around to glance at James who shot her a fast, winning smile. Teddy felt like he might melt into the floor. He was not trying to show off but James had that effect on him sometimes. The moment was brief, however, and quickly Stephanie was looking right back at Teddy. “Whatever you think will work best,” she said, folding her hands in her lap.

“There is the final matter of payment,” Teddy informed her. He’d never been a fan of this part of the process but he knew his skills were worth the cost. Reaching down he opened a file drawer, pulling out a piece of pre-printed parchment that outlined his contract and a Seal-the-Deal Quill to mark his fees down on the appropriate lines.

“Many of my clients prefer to pay out over each session, and if that’s your preference as well we can come up with an installment plan rather than paying all up front in one sum. The total for all the sessions is listed in both Dragot and Galleons just - here.” He paused and passed the parchment over to Stephanie who took it with a nod. “Payment will be due at the first session along with this contract. I look forward to seeing you and meeting your family.” Smiling warmly, Teddy stood up and held out his hand.

Stephanie rose to her feet as well and reached out to shake it. “Thank you Mr. Lupin.”

“Please, it’s Teddy,” he implored, walking around the desk to escort her out of his studio. She didn't follow and, instead, sidestepped over to James.

“Mr. Potter, thank you so much for your time earlier,” she said as she held out her hand to him, “My daughter-”

“I hope it makes her happy,” James interrupted smoothly, ignoring Stephanie’s outstretched hand and instead reaching around her to wrap her in a slightly awkward hug. He whispered something in her ear that made her giggle like a schoolgirl and look over at Teddy with renewed reverence.

That particular look of James’ was known by the entire Potter-Weasley clan as specifically just for Teddy. When they were both much younger, James would sit and watch Teddy for hours at family gatherings while he drew in the corner. Young James had long ago declared Teddy to be the “coolest person ever” and the boy’s face would light up at Teddy’s shapes and colors. Teddy would find himself with bright turquoise hair, unconsciously humming the frequency of each shape to his audience of one. Ginny, often with a look of awe, had commented on many occasions about how in Teddy’s presence, James would settle down with the most serene of expressions. Once, when Teddy had overheard Ginny telling Harry about her observations, Harry had just smiled and said that Remus had had a similar effect on him.

That look of James’ had been like a dose of pure confidence, like a painter's Pepper-Up potion. There had never been any doubt when it came to how James saw him - Teddy could tell that he had always been an artist in James’ eyes. That had been the dominant thought in his mind as he had made the decision to seek an apprenticeship with a Wizarding artist. He’d taken the best of his work and had compiled it meticulously, selecting the pieces he’d felt had the most movement and showcased the best range. He’d known others envied him for the future that was expected of him - he’d been scouted for Quidditch and as Head Boy he’d have a good shot at any regular job he could want. But neither of those had felt quite like the future that he had wanted for himself and so in the back of his mind the anxiety had remained. 

And so when Teddy had found himself on a rare sunny day in March up in the owlery ready to mail off his works to several Wizarding artists he’d come across on WizNet, it had felt like fate that James had found him there. Teddy had considered sending digital files rather than making physical copies, but he had wanted to stand out and figured that mailing a physical portfolio with a handwritten cover letter would produce better results. He had just sent off his first application and was preparing his second when James had wandered into the owlery, sliding up alongside him, his own letter sealed in his hand, he had prodded Teddy with his elbow. “Whatcha doing?” he’d asked, eyeing the stack of papers on the table. 

Teddy hadn’t replied right away and so James had budged over to look at his stack of multiple portfolios, the top piece depicting the Shrieking Shack glowing eerily beneath the full moon with the Whomping Willow in the foreground. Even back then it had been an older piece of Teddy’s but one he had been happy to lead with. The movement of the tree and the monochromatic blues had spoken to him in a melancholy sort of way. He’d looked up to see James staring at him, his normally golden smile dulled slightly. He’d reached out and patted Teddy’s arm before putting the piece down and pulling him into a hug. “Your work is amazing,” he’d whispered, “they’d be stupid not to take you.” Teddy had quietly filed those words away in his heart. Later, after he had received three letters of acceptance back, he'd contemplated his next step carefully. He’d considered sharing the options with James but hadn’t wanted to bother the first year - he’d had adult decisions to make and an artist to reply to.

Teddy walked over to James as the studio door closed behind Stephanie. “Sorry about that. You didn’t have to stay for that. I’m sure it was really boring,” Teddy said, hoping to avoid any discussion over the uncomfortable display that had happened between him and Stephanie. “If I had thought about it, I could have Apparated you to my flat or something.”

James shrugged, waving him off, “Oh, c’mon Teddy, you know I have always liked to watch you work.” The smile he gave was his brightest yet.

Later, Teddy decided, he really needed to ask what was going on with James.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are any author’s lifeblood - just saying ^_^
> 
> If you want to chat more, come hang out - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	2. Black Book

**Chapter 2 - Black Book**

“I’m sorry about Mrs. Roche earlier,” Teddy offered for the millionth time though James just waved him off. The pair found themselves sitting in a coffee shop blocks from his flat, Teddy nursing a hot chocolate mocha and James on his second Americano, with extra sugar and a little cream.

“So, you’re really here for a story?” Teddy asked. 

“Yes, but I can’t say too much more than that right now,” James said, “My boss- You remember Luna, right? Well she seems to think there’s a story at MACUSA that’s about to blow wide open and wants me to report it first. ‘The Quibbler always gets the scoop!’” Air quotes accompanied his final words.

“You do realize The Quibbler is a tabloid paper, right?” Teddy asked cheekily.

“You’ve been in the States too long - The Quibbler has become an upstanding publication. Way better than the drivel they publish over at The Prophet. I’m still going to hunt down Rita Skeeter for publishing that latest slander piece on Rose and Scorpius. ‘Death Eater's Son and Minister’s Daughter: Trouble in Paradise?’ As if she knows the truth about anything!”

Teddy snorted and took a sip of his mocha. The chocolate warmth filled him up but also kept him grounded. He couldn't let his hair morph to turquoise - not out in public, no matter how content he was feeling at the moment - so he resisted the urge and kept his hair strawberry blond. James looked him over with light in his eyes.

“Merlin, I’ve missed you.”

“Says the man who showed up on my doorstep with no warning,” Teddy countered.

“You love me and you know it!” James smiled and took a sip of his drink. “But I can always get a hotel. The Quibbler will pay - so no guilt allowed.”

“No, no, none of that - you know perfectly well you’re always welcome at mine. Warning or no. Just remember to stick to the Wizarding areas to avoid issues. Even if their enforcement of Rappaport's Law is lax, the last thing you need is to cause a scandal while you are here,” Teddy flashed James a take-me-seriously look before chuckling to himself. “What I can’t understand is why they would send their most famous and recognizable reporter to investigate a top secret story.”

“That’s top secret!”

“I didn’t know you knew the meaning of those words." Teddy grinned. “We both know I’ll get it out of you soon enough - you never could keep things from me.” 

“I think that was the other way around,” James countered, taking a huge gulp of his Americano. Teddy used the moment to silently concede and then change the subject.

“Didn’t your Witch Weekly article come out a few months ago?” 

“It did but you know, everything’s online now. WizNet, what did we do before it? Plus it’s nice to be recognized for yesterday’s news. Today’s news is all about how much of a disappointment I am because I am a single eligible bachelor who gave up his career in Quidditch for the oh-so-glamorous life of a journalist.” James actively tried not to look bitter and sarcastic, but Teddy could see right through the act. 

Cautiously Teddy took another sip of his mocha and lightly pressed, “So how’s the family? What did everyone think of you coming to New York?”

“Oh you know how it is!” James threw back his head and waved his hands. “Dad and Mum are still disappointed I am no longer living up to my Quidditch potential - as if I didn’t hear it enough from the team before I left. But I figured I’d leave on a winning season - plus I really missed writing and wanted more time for it. And, let’s see,” he paused to think for a moment, “Al graduated Hogwarts, but you knew that already, and is thinking he wants to become a chef of all things. Not that I can fault him for it. Since I've stepped down from Quidditch you wouldn’t believe the amount of pressure there is to live up to being ‘the great Harry Potter’s son’.” The air quotes were back and James had a little more edge to him but it quickly dissipated with a sip of coffee.

“Of course, he’s still pining over Scorpius, not that he’ll ever admit it, mind, now that Scorp and Rose have gotten together. But I can- er, recognize the signs, I suppose. Lily has been getting into Divination even more, much to mum and dad’s utter dismay. Well mostly mum’s, if I am being honest. Dad knows the power of a true prophecy. I think his issue comes more in the fact that he doesn’t fully believe Lily has the gift,” he shrugged and leaned back.

“And what about-” Teddy started but was interrupted by James reaching into his bag.

“Oh- that reminds me! I was going to do this later but Aunt Hermione asked me to give this to you. She had it specially commissioned and didn’t want to owl it overseas.” 

The sound of rummaging gave way as James held up a black leather-bound sketchbook with ancient runes on the cover, the spine lined with colorful stones. The book appeared to have been hand-bound and the heavy parchment was dyed or spelled cream. Each stone gave off its own frequency, but their noise was softened by the black.

“This must have cost a fortune,” Teddy breathed. Unlike his Gran, Hermione had always been very supportive of his interest in art and this was rather extravagant. His chest tightened as James laughed.

“Yeah, she hinted you might say that. She also told me to tell you not to worry about it - she’s been trying to get this to you for a while. Didn’t want it to get lost overseas. She found out I was coming and practically ordered me to deliver it, with a lecture of course. Asking if I know what those ancient runes mean. Like I don’t!” James smiled, all warm and yellow, and Teddy looked down.

He didn’t know what those ancient runes meant. He never took that class, and even if he had, he only paid enough attention in his classes to keep his grades where he needed them to be to become Head Boy in hopes it would endear Gran to him. That she would say she was proud of him. That plan hadn’t really worked.

Which was mainly because Teddy found his “little art projects” far more interesting than the majority of his classes. Classes and academic achievement were the only aspects of Hogwarts his Gran respected, and she would often protest the non-traditional things he was exposed to over the years.

During his second year the Muggle named Steve Jobs had released the iPad. He’d found out from his friend Jade Griffith-Smith, a muggleborn witch, when they’d huddled around her iPhone, which had been charmed to work inside the castle, watching the press release. Wizards long since had found ways around the usual restrictions of muggle technology, jailbreaking various Muggle software and charming them for their own uses. Wizarding technology was in its infancy and Teddy clamored to be a part of it by owning an iPad of his own. When school had been let out for the summer, he’d worked odd jobs for the Potter-Weasley clan, saving up for the moment when he finally amassed enough Galleons for one of his own. 

Knowing his Gran would never approve of such a purchase, he’d gone to Hermione for help. Even though they had gone for an iPad, Hermione had spent days researching Wizarding technology and had suggested Teddy instead get a laptop with Photoshop and a Wacom tablet. Teddy could still remember how uncomfortable it had been inside that oh-so-very-white store. The urge to fill the space with color had distracted him the entire time. Hermione, balancing a three year old Hugo and trying to prevent a four year old Rose from running amok, had tried to help him afford the laptop bundle, but he’d stayed firm and had left with an iPad and stylus. He’d taken his new tablet to Hogwarts the following year. Several years of trying later and with a little more help from Hermione, he’d successfully charmed Photoshop onto the iPad and his art took on a whole new dimension.

But while he’d been wasting time with Photoshop experiments and portrait interviews, James had always been incredibly curious when it came to the more esoteric topics that might prove to be actually useful. Things like Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration and of course, writing. Though James would probably never admit to it in certain company, he had always written epicly long essays. During his first year he’d given an odd one or two to Teddy to review before they were due. Teddy remembered being surprised that they were usually longer than the required length, but when he had inquired about it James had just shrugged and said he’d gotten lost in the words. Teddy considered this when he thought of his drawing, but he wasn’t sure it was quite the same. His drawings came out of him because he wanted to fill the world with color. He often wondered if James wrote to fill up space with his words. 

“Hey, Earth to Teddy!” James called out, snapping Teddy back to the present. “Oh, good, thought I lost you there for a second.”

“You prat,” Teddy said as he smiled, “You know I don’t know the first thing about what these runes mean.”

“Hm?” James stood up and moved over to stand behind Teddy. He could feel the warmth seep through his back as James’ hand reached down past his shoulder to the first string of three shapes. Teddy felt like he should know what they meant - they were shapes after all, each one radiating a color and a mood. The top line, for instance, felt the same as his turquoise hair, natural and like himself. But the feel of them did not mean he could easily translate them, so he focused on listening to James explain.

“These here essentially mean ‘blessed, leader, wolf’ - basically your name,” James nudged Teddy with his knee and took another sip of Americano before moving his finger down “These next ones, the one that looks like a right side up fish here next to the ‘X’?” James paused while Teddy nodded, “mean inherited gift.”

Teddy took a sharp intake of breath, consciously focusing on not switching his hair in the middle of the coffee shop.

“And below all those,” James continued on like nothing happened, “this backwards ‘Z’? Well it’s really a ‘Y’ but it looks like a ‘Z’ yeah? That one means ‘magic’. Pretty cool, no? Certainly got your number.”

 _Even after all these years,_ Teddy thought as James pulled away. He clutched the sketchbook close to his chest. Inherited gift indeed. 

“Are you ready to get out of here?” James asked.

Teddy looked up and laughed. “You want to take a nap, you mean,” he said with a grin, snatching up both his and James’ bags.

“No, silly - I just had two large cups of espresso! No way I can sleep after that,” James said, energy infectious as he tossed his cup into the trash can with a Chaser’s flair. It landed perfectly. “Score!” James exclaimed, golden grin on his face as he pushed the door open for Teddy to walk through. Teddy was pretty sure he shouldn’t be feeling butterflies in his stomach at the action. 

* * *

In the spring after his Hogwarts graduation, during his big Sunday Weasley-Potter family celebration dinner, Teddy had announced his plans to move to New York City to study under famed Wizarding Portrait Artist Ruby Fontaine, much to the shock of all in attendance. The uproar had been intense. Even after all this time everyone thought he would want to play Quidditch or work for the Ministry or be an Auror like his “parents would have wanted.” Instead he “was throwing his life away,'' according to Ginny and his Gran, “making a big mistake” according to Ron, and “moving as far away from the family as he could” according to Bill. 

Victoire had looked on with wide eyes and a sad expression on her face. Teddy’s only response had been to look down at his hands that he still couldn’t change, his hair fading from turquoise to sandy brown. Harry had approached him after, a mix of sadness and approval playing across his face. Later on, when everyone had calmed some and Teddy had managed to break away, James sought him out and gave him a big hug, told him he’d miss his “favorite wizard ever” and had asked if he could come visit in New York. James was going into his second year of Hogwarts and had grown closer to Teddy during his first year. What’s more, James liked his art and his colors, and he didn’t make Teddy feel small for them. Teddy had ruffled his hair, pulled him into a second hug, and told him that they would write, “All we need is owls that cross the ocean.”

Teddy had moved to New York city in early fall following his seventh year at Hogwarts. As a graduation present, Harry had helped him pick out an art studio of his very own in a trendy part of wizarding Brooklyn. Teddy had protested but eventually signed the paperwork after Harry insisted. “It’s the least I can do for my starving artist godson,” he’d said with a wink, passing the deed back over to records at MACUSA. Things had gotten a bit tense when the official processing the paperwork had reminded both of them about the consequences of Rappaport's law still being in effect. "Bit outdated that," Harry had said, staring down the official, but hadn't pressed the issue further.

"I'm not a fan of the forced separation of all Muggle and Wizarding culture here, but I won't get this chance to study back home," Teddy had said to Harry after they had left. Harry had only continued to shake his head, no doubt lost in old memories.

With his own money, Teddy had rented a small flat on the Floo network, but mostly spent his time in the studio once his apprenticeship had started. He would learn spells to infuse memories into paint, spells to make portraits come alive, and spells to recreate historical masterpieces. He had thrown himself into the work and by year three had started taking on clients, Ruby’s youngest apprentice ever to do so. By year four he’d divided his studio into three rooms: a client intake room, his public studio space and portrait sitting room, and a private back room for his own works. The backroom held mostly large canvases upon which Teddy would layer the pigments, removing the stark white and transforming the canvas with color. It was his creation space and while not huge, he had more room than he ever dreamed he could have in the city.

His flat, on the other hand, was small, but it suited him well. A one bedroom on the top floor of an old fashioned building in Brooklyn with no elevator on the Muggle side of town close to the Wizarding area. He was fairly certain his rent was below market value because no one wanted to walk up seven floors everyday to get to their flat, despite the fantastic views and wrap around balcony. Teddy had no issues with this though, as he demonstrated by Apparating James and himself right into the center of his living room.

“Your place feels like you,” James declared with a quick look around the room, the warmth exuding from his words matching with the vibration of the room. “A far cry from your room at Andromeda’s, huh?” 

Teddy surveyed the space he’d become so accustomed to. His couch was oversized with two Hufflepuff accent pillows laid upon it: one he had sewn and painted himself the time he had fancied himself a tailor and one Molly had knit for him one Christmas while he was dating Victoire. The fireplace along the far wall had once had his TV mounted over it, but when he’d activated it to the Floo Network he realized the magical ashes were destroying the TV cables no matter how many times he spelled it compatible. So now his TV sat beside it on the right atop of a console center he had made from an old wood pallet his neighbor was throwing away. He had worked the material by hand, using little magic, and painted it a maroon color that leaned slightly more neutral because of the brown undertone and vibrated in comforting waves. His drawing table sat propped up in the corner, the dark woods and black accents reminding him of Hogwarts. 

His walls were lined with pieces of his art, all modern interpretations with the colors of the seasons: Times Square during New Year’s Eve, Hogsmeade in the fall, Central Park in summer and Hogwarts in the spring. He’d also painted the ceiling with the moon and stars, charmed to move as the constellations in the sky. Soft grey carpeting lined the floor that contrasted with the yellow and turquoise curtains that hung along the old panoramic windows. Nothing looked like it should go together but it all worked because all the colors rang at the same comfortable frequency. 

By contrast his room at his Gran's had had stark white walls with dark black furniture. The black headboard had been part of an ornately carved four poster. Teddy remembered that room well and was glad to be moved on from it. He hadn’t realized James did though.

“Yeah, it’s cozy,” Teddy replied while setting both their bags on the floor, allowing his hair to morph as he did so. “Are you sure you don’t mind sleeping on the couch?”

When he turned around James had already flopped down on it, making himself at home. “Do I look like I would mind?” he asked.

“You better not, seeing as you’re the one who surprised me showing up today. Now what should we do-” he was quickly cut off.

“While I’m here? I thought you’d never ask! I have so many plans for what I want to do - The Statue of Liberty, I need to see Wizarding New York, and oh! Could we go to a Broadway show? I know that’s kinda Muggle-” James looked like a five-year-old on Christmas and then, inexplicably, he brightened even more, “Teddy! Your hair!”

Teddy looked up, surprised. “Huh?”

“It’s turquoise!” 

Teddy ran his hand through the strands. Turquoise was reserved for when he was comfortable: the color just felt like _him,_ like he didn’t have to pretend he’s someone else. These days Teddy allowed his hair to morph back to turquoise when he was at home, or in the presence of people he felt comfortable with. A strange feeling dawned on him that James might be aware of that. Staring down at his hands, his mouth moved before his brain could catch up. “Um, er- yeah, I was fighting turning it since you arrived. I don’t like to freak people out too much in public with the morphs, and I like to keep my hair more professional looking at work. I used to morph it all kinds of colors but during my apprenticeship I learned it really didn’t serve me well. All it did was-”

Suddenly James was all around him, wrapping him up in a hug, and Teddy felt all of 17 years old again, sending off portfolios in the owlery. Only now, he realized, James was taller than him by a good couple inches. “Don't- don't fight who you are, not for me. Not for anyone, but definitely not for me,” he insisted quietly.

Teddy was suddenly unsure how to explain the tug-of-war inside himself. After all, how do you tell the person who once thought he was “the coolest, most awesomest person ever,” the person who would spend hours watching him draw, the boy who shared his innermost thoughts and feelings with him over the years, that he wasn’t nearly as comfortable with his own Metamorphmagi powers as James seemed to be - even if James didn’t have any of his own. Teddy wasn’t stupid, he knew people would kill to have his abilities, so he could never quite justify why he didn’t embrace them like he should. It would be too overwhelming to explain all these thoughts that were playing out in his mind, so instead he settled on a quiet, “Deal.”

The moment lingered before James eventually pulled away. Moving to sit on his couch, Teddy considered telling James everything for a split second but the moment was crushed when James flopped down on top of him. 

“James!” he practically shrieked in surprise before shoving him off. 

From the floor he heard a soft laugh, “There’s the smile I wanted to see.”

“Well, you got it,” Teddy dissolved into laughter himself, looking at James on his floor. James with his perfect tan figure, his dark hair, and his deep green eyes. Teddy wanted to paint him, fighting the sudden urge to portray what he saw by allowing the rumbling of his stomach to distract him, "Hungry? I was going to ask what you’d like for dinner before we got sidetracked.”

“Sure,” James smiled.

“Know what you want?” Teddy asked, all the while imagining pouring deep green on a white canvas.

“How about authentic New York pizza?”

Teddy smiled. That sounded perfect.

* * *

James’ first night in New York passed with him devouring an entire margherita pizza and crashing early on Teddy’s couch. When Teddy awoke the next morning, he pulled on a light baby blue shirt then grabbed his wand and sketchbook from the nightstand by his bed and padded towards the kitchen to make himself a cuppa. He smiled softly thinking how he’d have to make two - it wasn’t often he had a house guest.

Turning the corner to his living room, a “Good morning” on his lips, Teddy was surprised to see the faces of Harry and Ginny in his fireplace. It was exceedingly rare for both of them to Floo at once. The only other time he could remember was when they had Firecalled the day James was born, inviting his Gran and him over to meet the new baby. A young Teddy had sat in the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, watching the sheer joy on both of the new parents’ faces – bright, warm, and proud. He wondered then as he did now, if his parents had looked at him like that.

This time felt very different than that time though. Teddy didn’t know what had happened, but Harry and Ginny weren’t smiling.

“-I swear James! I can’t believe you sometimes!” Ginny was chastising, “If I didn’t know any better-”

“As you can see, mum, I’m perfectly fine. Teddy’s taking good care of me,” James whipped around to bring Teddy to the forefront, who was suddenly very much aware of his state of undress. 

Turning red he replied with a meek, “Yes, James is fine.” Teddy quickly backed out of the room to pull on a pair of sweatpants and pocket his wand before stopping off in the kitchen to conjure himself a cuppa and croissant.

Returning to the living room, he saw James had moved to lay in front of the fireplace. Ginny and Harry both appeared to have calmed down and the trio were now discussing James’ new assignment which, though he didn’t share many details, sounded infinitely better than the predicament Al had found himself in.

“You know I can’t share any details about a story before I break it,” James informed his parents. “You wouldn’t make Teddy talk” _—_ he nodded back towards Teddy before turning into the fire _—_ “or Al if he had a secret, lil-Slytherin - he’d be all buttoned up about it.” Teddy could hear the affectionate undertone in his words, and the air seemed to vibrate green.

“Your brother-” Ginny began with a half frown, “has signed a lease on his own restaurant.”

James smiled wide. “Good for him! When do we celebrate?”

Harry smiled back. “Your mother is just mad because she can’t cook as well as Albus or I.”

“The restaurant is going to be vegan. Vegan!”

“Lots of people are vegan now, mum,” James reassured.

“Not wizards, James,” Ginny sighed.

“Mum, get with the times. It’s 2025. Al will be fine.”

“Yeah, I just-”

“Had so much hope for you boys.” James did a shockingly spot on impression of his mother and Harry laughed.

“Now, James, you know we’re proud of you all no matter what you do.”

Teddy felt his heart clench.

James leaned in further towards the fire as if to give them both a hug, “I know. Now go, I have a story to track and work to get to.”

Ginny looked up almost apologetic. “Love you, James,” she said before looking over at Teddy. “Take care of him, will you?”

Teddy nodded mutely.

“Take care of each other,” Harry offered before he and James both said “Love you” at the same time as the Floo shut off.

“Tell me the truth,” Teddy said, turning to James once the fire was out and putting on the most stern face he could but failing miserably. “Did you not tell them you were coming here?”

“No, I did!” James protested. He should not look so good in the morning, Teddy thought. Clearly he had been up and showered already. “But well, I suppose I didn’t tell mum. Or maybe she wasn’t paying attention. But everyone else knew! I even gave you the sketchbook.”

Well that was true at least. Still, it troubled Teddy that James found himself halfway around the world and Ginny wasn’t informed.

“Try not to worry so much, Ted-ster. I am only here for a few weeks’ time, and I want to make the most of it.” He grabbed the croissant out of Teddy’s hand and took a bite. “Bloody hell, this is good.”

“Could you at least swallow?” Teddy chastised. “Or, since you insist on eating my food, why don’t you make us some breakfast while I shower?” 

“I’m sorry Teddy, I love your hospitality and all, but I need to get going,” James said. “Stories to follow and I have a good lead, you know?” He smiled apologetically before grabbing his bag. “I’ll make it up to you by buying you food later.”

Teddy nodded again, rubbing the last of the sleep out of his eyes, before looking back up to see James with an amused look on his face. “What-?” Teddy asked, slightly off kilter at the odd glow in James’ eyes. It was impossible to ignore the color intensity radiating from them.

“It’s a date then.”

In bewildered response Teddy reached over and pulled at the other end of the croissant, shoving the piece in his mouth, crumbs falling to the floor. He watched as James gave him a knowing smile and walked over to the Floo. With a small flourish he tossed some Floo powder into the hearth calling “WizWork, Quibbler Office, New York City” before turning back to Teddy. “I’ll see you after work,” he said. It was not a question. “Now, go put some clothes on!” 

Laughter rang out in Teddy’s living room long after James had disappeared, the frequency soft and golden. It took Teddy a few more sips of tea before he realized just how at ease James had looked while using his Floo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, Kudos and Comments are author-fuel and food for the soul ^_^
> 
> If you want to chat more, come hang out - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	3. Grey Matter

**Chapter 3 - Grey Matter**

Early on in his career, Teddy realized he needed to organize his weeks. Especially if he wanted to have days off from portrait sitting as he consistently had more than enough client demand to fill all seven days and then some besides. Teddy often wondered if his Gran would be proud of him because of that. Probably not, he decided. She’d probably still want him to get a “real job.” But it was better dwelling on that than the moments Teddy found himself in the darkest corners of his heart, usually while he was deeply embedded in his personal art pieces, where he wondered if his parents would be proud of him: if his mum would like his colors, if his dad would understand his obsession with shapes. He never allowed himself to contemplate this for too long. 

From time to time, Teddy would daydream about the paintings he could create of the people he loved. Sure he had sketched them all over the years, pages and pages in various sketchbooks and odd pieces of paper, but a portrait to hold their personalities for eternity required a bit more forethought. Not even considering the honor and privilege it would be to paint the current Minister for Magic, Hermione and Ron would be fun to paint as a couple, and he could imagine how their hair would play off each other bright red and soft brown mixing on the canvas. He always thought of painting Hugo’s likeness with a background that showcased his love of clocks and tinkering or Rose surrounded by bright and colorful books and her newest racing broom. 

Molly and Arthur would be painted with the Burrow behind them, of course - the building holding as much personality as they did. Thoughts of painting Victoire would slip through his defences from time to time after all the hours he’d thought about doing so while they had been together. Her yellow hair and soft eyes against a background of baby blue, clean and soft so her beauty would shine off the canvas. He hated thinking about her now but found it difficult to stop.

He would paint Lily with a deck of Tarot and a crystal ball. For Albus, he would use a clean modern palette of green and silver. His vision for painting Harry and Ginny together involved lots of gold and red and tons of Quidditch references - the smiles on their faces similar to the day James was born. Painting James was something he had thought about a lot, though the perfect image remained elusive to Teddy. Capturing the frequency of James’ smile, his carefree personality, the intensity and intentionality behind his gaze, the structure and support Teddy saw in his body, all felt like more than even he could capture on canvas. In his head he had long ago determined that he’d paint the background to look like a golden map, as James knew no limitations in life or the world. Teddy didn’t dare allow himself to think about painting his Gran, who would never approve of her likeness captured by her lost and confused grandson, or his parents, who he could never bring back to life. 

Once Teddy had left his apprenticeship and struck out on his own, he assigned days of the week: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays were portrait sitting days. Wednesdays were mainly reserved as client intake days. Saturdays were left open for a combination of clients who couldn’t make it during work days and personal projects. Fridays and Sundays were supposed to be Teddy’s days off; however, more often than not, Teddy found himself in the studio anyway working on a canvas or out somewhere sketching. The main difference was that, on those days, Teddy allowed himself to crack open a beer or other locally distilled liquor, the No-Maj in the States had certainly perfected the art of craft beer and alcohol, but Teddy preferred to buy it in bottles rather than risk crossing Rappaport’s Law after one too many at a local bar.

James’ unexpected arrival had been on a Wednesday in late fall, the leaves were already well on their way to changing colors, the energy of change hanging from the trees. Teddy had already had three sessions booked for the day after his arrival: a paint matching session for the first hour and a half of the morning with an older woman who wanted to be drawn with her cats (multiple), followed by two portrait sitting sessions. 

These consisted of an older man named Arnold, who reminded Teddy of Arthur in looks but not in personality, and a thirty-year-old terminally ill woman named Amelia who had a rare condition that syphoned off her magic little by little, and once her stores were completely depleted the disease would eventually move to her organs. There was no known cure, as she had informed Teddy during her consultation, and she wanted to have her portrait done while her organs were still intact. The Mediwitches didn’t think she would live past 40 and her parents had tried everything they could think of, but there was only so much they could do: Amelia’s dad was a No-Maj and due to Rappaport’s Law, she had quietly confessed to Teddy when he pressed during her paint mixing session that her mother had had to tell everyone she was a single parent who’d gotten pregnant by her wizarding childhood friend who had ‘conveniently discovered’ afterwards he was gay. Amelia had used the air quotes. Under the pretense of shame her mom set up a Fidelius Charm tucking Amelia and her father beneath it until Amelia left for school. It was at this point, when her magic struggled to develop, that Amelia started to realize something was wrong. “But by then,” she had hung her head quietly, “nothing could really be done. At least I got to know my dad, you know? I know they risked a lot for me.”

Again Teddy remembered how much he hated Rappaport’s Law, the stupid outdated statute that enforced strict segregation between the No-Maj and wizarding communities. When he first came to America he’d been shocked to learn that wizards were still not allowed to befriend or marry No-Majs on pain of death. He’d scuffed the floor while mixing the paint and spells (the ratio had to be just right) before looking up at Amelia, “Your secret is safe with me,” he had promised. She’d smiled.

Somedays Teddy’s studio was a confessional, somedays a therapist's office. Over the years his clients had shared many stories with the artist, some highly detailed and mesmerizing, others boring and dull. Teddy learned over the years to identify those latter clients early on. Nowadays, he rarely took on a client he didn’t want to spend more time with or have his name attached to their likeness. Though he’d been asked many times, he hardly ever made any edits to his work, he did not shave off extra-pounds, and though he would remove blemishes occasionally, he refused to remove birthmarks or scars unless there was a very specific circumstance. 

His memory infusing charms were fortified with a level of integrity to ensure that his portraits remained as close to their real life counterparts as possible and in charge of their faculties once brought to life on the canvas. Clients sought Teddy out for his unique style of portraiture as he intentionally departed from tradition, forgoing the old stuffy plain backgrounds or outdated sitting rooms like the portraits in the Hogwarts halls had showcased. Instead he tended to put his clients in an environment that he felt suited their personality and likeness in the modern day: for instance the man who reminded Teddy of Arthur was being painted into a modernist background that depicted his love of music, and later on Teddy planned to infuse Amelia’s likeness into an impressionist style scene that showed her love of gardening and the outdoors. 

Teddy refocused on the portrait in front of him. The old man, Arnold, sat patiently as Teddy added the last of the paint to his canvas. The piece was nearly complete. The background showed Teddy’s modern interpretation of classical and jazz music with the man’s likeness in front of it, inspiration clearly drawn from historical works of artists such as Kandinsky and Picasso - Muggles certainly had more to offer the world in terms of painted art than wizards did in Teddy’s opinion. Not that Stonehenge and the Pyramids weren’t art, they just didn’t capture color or paint for the sake of it, and besides the stone sites were always built with a secondary purpose anyway.

Backing away Teddy took the paintbrush out of his mouth, “Would you like to see?” 

The man nodded and Teddy turned the canvas towards his client. This was his favorite part, watching their faces light up as they saw the results of sitting for several hours. The man quietly gasped.

“Do you like it?” Teddy asked.

“Love it” was all the man said but he was humming happily under his breath.

“Shall we book the third session to integrate the memory spells once the paints have had time to set and cure?” It was crucial the paint not be dried by a spell if the portrait wanted to be able to move, as the excess paint has to have time to seep into the canvas and stretch a little organically. Many sub-par artists rushed that part, but Teddy wasn’t sub-par.

The man gave a quick nod but was still humming. Teddy noted the frequency of the tone in his client’s file that sat on his work table next to the canvas, wanting to ensure that the frequency was infused into his next charms because he wasn’t able to capture it during the painting stage.

“You used WizNet to book, right?” he asked his client, who nodded yet again.

“Yes, my grandson was able to help me,” the man shook his head. “Back in my day you could just owl."

Teddy smiled, “Well I still take owls but I find WizNet is just easier for everyone. Just give this piece a few days to fully cure. I think I should have some openings early next week, okay? This should be the longest session anyhow.”

The man nodded and moved to get up. He crossed the room, glancing again at the painting beside Teddy.

“I heard you were the best,” he said, “but I didn’t expect to be this amazed. You even got my coloring and that violin in the background looks almost as alive as I do. I don’t know if I can thank you enough.” 

“No need to thank me,” Teddy waved him off. “I do this because I love it.”

“That much is clear, son.” Teddy tried not to wince at the word son. 

* * *

“How was your day?” 

True to his word James took Teddy out to dinner. He picked an Italian place that served massive portions, and Teddy wasn’t sure if he would have leftovers for the week or if James would put it all away. Right now, James was looking so ravenous that he could eat an entire Hogwarts feast.

Teddy was still perplexed by James’ use of the word ‘date’ earlier, his brain working overtime trying to figure out if anything was meant by it. Probably not, he decided, it was probably just James being, well, James. Lost in a rare moment of calm, Teddy caught himself just before he launched into the long tale of his day. In his experience, no one shared his enthusiasm for what went on in his portrait sitting sessions. Besides, of the two of them, James was the one prone to long explanations. Teddy smiled at the thought, it was amazing James hadn’t become a reporter sooner. “I had three sessions today, one first and two seconds, which is a pretty typical Thursday for me actually. You probably had a more exciting day.”

James grinned and leaned forward, “The Quibbler US office is so small! There’s only three employees here, you know? We rent out space in that new WizWork building in the Wizarding part of Manhattan. I don’t know how they work in those tiny office rooms, thank Merlin for the communal spaces!” James looked slightly exasperated as he reached for a breadstick.

“Those WizWork spaces are pretty cool though.” Teddy had been given a tour a few months back when they had reached out to him and commissioned some art pieces for their common rooms. “Did you know I have two pieces in their Manhattan location?”

“You do?!” James looked up surprised, and Teddy suddenly felt slightly warm. “That’s fantastic, Teddy! I will need to swing by and see them. Will you tell me your inspiration behind them, or are they better off seen without any prep?” he paused in thought before continuing, “but then it’s sorta like with Quidditch, you know? I like to know the game plan before going in.”

Teddy tried not to smile at how everything with James seemed to lead back to Quidditch and failed miserably. He quietly thanked Merlin that he’d already turned his hair turquoise before going out or he’d be fighting the urge about now.

“Well, to be honest, I used the opportunity to channel my love of modern art. The curators were looking for something that would fit in with their whole ‘Modern Manhattan’ aesthetic so I went out and got inspired by the color palette of the skyscrapers”—Teddy left out the details of how he’d tapped into the frequency of the island to tease out the bluish green tones he’d used—“and started mixing and pouring colors on the canvas. The piece on the 5th floor is one of the biggest I’ve ever produced.” He smiled thinking how he’d charmed and stretched the canvas over three meters tall and wide, doing the calculations back and forth in his head from metric to American units because the piece had to fill the entirety of the wall. Once the colors had set into the canvas he had cast several spells to evoke the movement and energy of the city, changing shadows with the time of day almost like a clock. Overall he was pretty proud of the end result. His second piece for WizWork had been much brighter and smaller with similar charms applied to it.

“You know I need to stop and look at them now,” James insisted, a slight whining to his tone, before his voice softened, “Can I see your studio too? Properly, you know? I barely got the grand tour yesterday.” 

Teddy didn’t even try to hold back his smile at James’ hopeful tone, as the waitress came around to drop off a large plate of pasta smothered in a creamy red sauce and topped with chicken and cheese. James pounced like he’d never seen food before, shoving a large portion onto his plate.

“Hey, save some for me!” Teddy joked, laughing at James' off-kilter look, “don’t your mum and dad feed you?”

“On Sundays, of course. Grandma always cooks enough food for an army, you know? You’re missed at those by the way,” James paused before shaking his head and taking a bite of pasta. He continued with his mouth full, “but you know I moved out after Hogwarts, live in a small flat basically above the Leaky,” he said as he swallowed. “It’s nowhere near as homey as yours though. You know, with being on the road with Quidditch for two years, I didn't spend much time there. But I wanted a home base that wasn’t my parents, you know?” He shrugged but Teddy knew James well enough to know the real reason had everything to do with the Harry Potter-sized shadow James had grown up under.

Teddy gave James a long look before tucking into his own food. James had grown up a lot, but he still had the same outwardly upbeat personality Teddy remembered. But then, Teddy also knew James always interacted with him differently than he did with others - being near Teddy always made him calmer, tamer, and less LOUD, as if Teddy’s presence was a calming charm on his temperament. James had never questioned his art. Instead he had sat and watched Teddy draw for hours at the Burrow. There had been many times when they were both younger that Teddy had ripped out a blank page or two from his sketchbook and handed it over to James to draw alongside him. James would grip his crayons with concentration, often unconsciously copying Teddy’s shapes. He’d never questioned Teddy, or made him fit his colors inside a box. Teddy never quite found the words to thank him for that; it was only starting to dawn on him that he’d needed to thank the man at all.

James was talking again, “-real scandal, you know? But then I’m sure it’ll turn up in the papers tomorrow that I’m here, you know? WizNet is already abuzz with the video I did for Marie yesterday. She posted it on MajGram and it sorta went viral overnight. Reposted to WWN and The Prophet of course. Spellbound even pinged me asking for an exclusive - I declined of course. It’s amazing that I even have a lead on a story that hasn’t broken yet, everything is so visible these days, you know? Teddy, do you have a social media account for your business? I know that you have your site, and it’s great, but…”

“No, I’ve never needed to advertise,” Teddy replied. “I post some of my work on my website, but I don’t have the time to run a full time social channel-”

“So get an assistant! You could hire someone part-time to help you. It would do wonders for your business, I know it would. Rose says it’s all because of social channels that her mum became Minister anyway, and Aunt Hermione certainly didn’t run those. Would you like me to help you? I could get you set up,” James looked so enthused about the idea that Teddy didn’t have the heart to shut him down.

“I’ll consider it,” he said calmly, taking a sip of his coke and another bite of pasta. Ever since Jason Fischer invented WizNet in 2006, building off the muggle internet, the Wizarding world had been embracing the interconnectivity with a gusto that rivaled their muggle counterparts. MajGram had launched in 2013, a pet project of Fischer’s. Rumor had it he’d hired former Unspeakables to help with the charms for the platform to make it interact in real time with the users who posted on it. Teddy didn’t put much stock in those rumors, but he couldn’t deny it could be a useful tool in his case. The sound of James’ laughter prompted him to look back up, his senses momentarily blinded with a grin that could light the moon.

“Consider it? Consider it done!” James leaned back in his chair, taking a pause from his pasta but he didn’t stop smiling, “You need an account in order to survive these days, and you know it. What happened to the man who charmed Photoshop to work on his computer? Who was pioneering the field of digital portraits? The world will want to know these things, Teddy! The world is demanding your artistic talent.” 

The only thing Teddy considered was melting into the floor as the words hung in the air between them. Teddy was aware he’s got some talent, but he was no master. He was not yet the next Michelangelo of the Muggle world, or even the Magenta Comstock of the Wizarding one. But approval shined through James’ eyes and Teddy could hear the golden frequency ring in his head like a bell as he leaned forward and whispered, “Thank you.”

James mimicked his movement and, for a moment, connection and understanding floated across the table, filling the space between them.

The moment was broken as the waitress rounded the corner, delivering a large platter of veal milanese to the center of their table. James attacked it like he hadn’t just consumed an entire platter of pasta and Teddy just smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos brighten my day!
> 
> Want to chat more? Find me on [tumblr](https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/)


	4. True Blue

**Chapter 4 - True Blue**

Teddy, amidst the large group of Weasley-Potter children, was always the quiet one. He discovered from an early age that he was different. Having a body that altered on his command, and often without it, meant he had to put energy into stabilizing his appearance. His family at least understood this part of him as they could see it. A gift from his mother they called it. Teddy called it a curse.

When he discovered that he saw colors differently than others, even being able to hear and feel them, no one seemed to understand, and trying to explain usually led to trouble - particularly where his Gran was concerned. He was well aware that she loved him, but he’d also watch as a sad dark grey or black would creep into her eyes as she’d transpose the ghosts of her daughter and late-husband onto him. However she would refuse to compare him to his dad, those moments came from Harry who would look on in wonder, and sometimes awe, at how much he channeled his father’s mannerisms. 

James, by contrast, was always the boisterous child. He enjoyed being the center of attention, soaking it up like a sponge, drawing energy from those around him. Teddy could remember how surprised he was the first time James sat down to watch him draw. James had been young, still learning his words and sucking on his thumb as he watched Teddy make shapes with his crayons. James had popped his thumb outta his mouth and pointed at the circle, “Moon?” Teddy looked up and gently corrected, “circle.” Then he'd drawn a half crescent next to it. “Moon,” he’d told James who looked back at him wide-eyed, like Teddy had just performed the most amazing magic he’d ever seen. 

Even as James grew older and more energetic - playing in family backyard Quidditch games, causing havoc with Freddie, pulling pranks with Al, Rose, and eventually Lily - he would still spare a moment to watch Teddy draw. James would watch silently, transfixed, as his eyes tracked Teddy’s hand with the same intensity that he brought to everything, combined with something akin to reverence, as if studying something precious and sacred that could never be duplicated.

Much like how he was looking at Teddy now.

“What do you think?” Teddy asked. 

“I think I missed you,” James responded, as if that somehow answered anything. It was late Friday afternoon and they were standing in Teddy’s studio, surrounded by his most recent portrait commissions. “So what did you do with your day off?”

James had already been gone when Teddy woke up that morning, leaving Teddy a note in one of his old half-filled sketchbooks stating that he would meet Teddy at 4pm at his studio - no excuses. The note was just so _James_ that Teddy didn’t even feel the annoyance that he always felt when someone else would write in his sketchbook.

"Oh, I just went to Central Park for a while, got a hot dog, painted," Teddy said, taking care not to mention the hours he had spent sketching fountains in his old sketchbook - he couldn't bring himself to use his new one yet - or his latest attempts at paint pouring – the large canvas that had been white this morning now sat in the back with a pleasing base gradient of deep purple to blue that mimicked the night sky.

"Sounds nice. On the other hand, my day was a mess. Did you know," James said, not missing a beat, "that New York City has way too many people?”

Teddy laughed. “It’s the same as London.”

“Yeah, but it feels worse because of all the dirt. And skyscrapers. And none of the ancient history.”

Teddy rolled his eyes at James’ whining, dismissing it with a chuckle. “C’mon,” he said, motioning towards the back room, “would you like some pumpkin juice?”

“Please,” James said. “I would really like a Butterbeer but I guess I’ll have to settle.”

“Please.” Teddy shot James a look. “You know they haven't imported Butterbeer in America for years." The 2020 MCAUSA election saw sweeping changes to the wizarding alcohol import tax and regulation, further isolating American wizards from their foreign counterparts. Teddy made a face at yet another oddity of America - he really missed Butterbeer. "You'll have to try and enjoy pumpkin juice while you're here.”

He opened the mini fridge and handed James a bottle. Cracking open his own, he led them both back out to his portrait room. Along the back wall behind his workstation sat Arnold's painting, paint from the earlier sitting still curing, next to a piece depicting an older Indian witch he had worked on Monday. He’d painted her in traditional Indian robes on top of jewel-toned pillows that bled into the foreground and golden pottery in the background. The bright colors contrasted well with the dark color of her skin tone giving her a regal glow. Next to her sat a piece from the previous week that depicted a wizard with a large afro surrounded by Quidditch memorabilia. 

A look of amazement crept onto James' face as he studied Arnold’s portrait. “He looks so real, alive.” He took a sip of his juice, a somber look crossing his face as he scanned the room. “Are you sure they’re not charmed to move yet?”

Teddy laughed softly at the praise and took a sip from his own bottle. “Not yet, these three still have to come in for their final session. Once a painting is done, I usually let my clients leave with it the same day. I don't like having my finished works around, really. I just see all the ways I could have improved them.” 

“Improve them?” the shock was blatant in James’ tone, “Teddy these are perfect! Well close to perfect. And so lifelike! They look like they could spring to life right off the canvas.”

Teddy felt his cheeks warm. 

James let out a gasp and practically jumped in front of the portrait of the older wizard with the afro, “Teddy, is that Robert Green?” 

Teddy nodded, passing the bottle of pumpkin juice back and forth in his hands.

“Teddy! The Robert Green? He’s only one of the best Chasers American National has ever seen!” James prattled on excitedly, as if Teddy didn’t know who his own client was. “Everyone is going to be so jealous when I tell them you got to paint his portrait. He practically invented the Harlem Shuffle back in the day - paved the way for Quidditch players everywhere, you know? Of course he was bald back then. I still remember the day I got his Chocolate Frog card. Oi, Freddie was so jealous! Offered to trade me for Dumbledore but I already had a million of him by then. Can I take a picture of this and share it on MajGram? Please?” Hope was alive in James’ eyes as he looked down at the painting. 

“If you get his permission, I suppose I wouldn’t mind. I just don’t want my pieces to be posted against my client’s wishes.”

“Er- Teddy, it’s your work.”

“Yes.”

“Ever consider putting a clause in your contract that allows you to do whatever you want with a portrait once you paint a client?”

“My contracts do allow for that.” Teddy wasn’t an idiot. And Ruby would have never let him strike out on his own without reviewing things with multiple Wizarding lawyers.

“Good!” Relief rang across the room. “Then we can post it!” James pulled out his wand and phone, balancing them both in his right hand, pumpkin juice in his left.

“No, I can post it. The contract only technically gives me permission as the artist...” Teddy trailed off, seeing the disappointment cross James’ face. It was quickly covered up though as James pocketed his wand.

“Will you show me your digital experiments?” he asked, already walking towards the computer in the front room, Robert Green forgotten about for the moment. He placed his pumpkin juice down on the table. Teddy followed behind and reached across the desk to boot up his computer. His wand sat abandoned on the table by his new-but-still-empty leather sketchbook while the screen loaded.

“Well,” Teddy began, setting his own bottle beside James’, “You know how No-Maj, er- Muggles, have video? I thought I would develop a charm which would incorporate movement and personality into my still images in Photoshop - without having to draw 24 individual images and animating them together to create the movement like Muggles do. I want each piece to come alive, for their movement to feel as 3D and organic as those,” Teddy waved his hand absently towards his portrait room, “without sacrificing the digital integrity of the melded images. I mean, I’ve only been trying this with my more abstract and landscape stuff right now,” he clicked open an older piece of his depicting the Whomping Willow in the foreground and the Shrieking Shack behind. 

“Oh, this was one of my favorites of yours from Hogwarts! I picked it out that time in the owlery when you were sending out your portfolio, remember?” James leaned in and threw an arm over Teddy’s shoulders, “It already feels like there’s movement in this one before you even add the magic. What are you going to do to it?”

Teddy felt his cheeks start to warm. “I was originally thinking I’d start with the moon, having it go through its phases, but I haven’t quite worked that incantation out yet. Mainly because I can’t decide if I want to have the moon go through those in real time or all at once over the course of 24 hours or something. Those would be two different charms either way. I have made some headway with the Whomping Willow though.” He reached for his wand and James’ arm fell away. Teddy found the air behind him cold with the loss of warmth and, for a brief moment, he wanted to pull James back towards him. Instead, he pointed his wand at the screen. _“Computus, Momentum Luminos Willow,"_ he chanted and suddenly the bark on the tree had texture as it thrashed about, appearing to be just centimeters away from separating from the screen. It was like a Wizarding photograph combined with a Muggle hologram as the tree popped outward, spilling beyond the foreground. Teddy gave it another moment before he whispered, _“Finite Incantatem,”_ and the tree went still. 

Teddy heard James let out a breath behind him.

“I’ve never really seen anything like that, it would make a great story for The Quibbler. Or better yet, we should commission you to illustrate for us. It would be a big hit.” James grinned. 

Teddy had a hard time seeing himself as a commercial painter. Perhaps it was due to a lack of skill, although that didn’t quite feel right, or just that his art was stranger than what the mass media seemed to want or need. He’d finally found a place to prosper after he’d spent years downplaying his abilities, tempering his Metamorphmagi urges, imagining what his parents would think of him, and wondering if he was ever going to be good enough for his Gran. Everything about him seemed only to separate him further from the path of success everyone else saw. His past, his talents, his Metamorphmagi abilities, his colors. 

Teddy sighed as his hair unconsciously shifted from his everyday dirty strawberry blond to a fiery orange, as it often did when he was fighting within himself. He caught it and quickly stopped the process but James’ sharp eyes picked it up anyway, a slightly worried look crossing his face. “Teddy, your hair started going orange. Everything alright?” 

Teddy stood up, running his hands through his locks, now back to strawberry blond like he wanted, and sighed towards the ground. 

“Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I did. You know I open my mouth without thinking sometimes. How can I make it better? I want to help. Tell me what I did?” James pressed his fingertips to Teddy’s lower back and Teddy resisted the urge to lean back into the touch. 

“You didn’t say anything wrong," he tried to reassure before he turned around towards James. Suddenly he wanted to confess everything. To talk openly about how difficult it was for him to balance who he was with the parts of himself he couldn't fully accept. But the thoughts all rushed into his head at once and he found himself uncertain where to begin.

When Victoire had broken up with Teddy, James had sought him out. Teddy had found himself outside in the middle of his Gran’s garden, one of the few places on the property with color, his hair a mousy brown with orange ends, long and blowing in the soft breeze around him. James had shown up at his Gran’s door and demanded that Andromeda let him see Teddy, threatening to sleep on her porch if she didn’t let him in. 

The newly turned twelve-year-old had all the determination and confidence in the world as he came to sit beside Teddy outside. Teddy didn’t know he had threatened to not leave until he was able to see Teddy. He hadn’t known how he found him or even how he _knew,_ but all James had to do was say “Hi Teddy” and words Teddy didn’t even know he had inside himself had come tumbling out. How the love for his art came first and how she couldn’t accept that. How his pansexuality combined with his demisexual nature made it hard to recognize people as more than what they were: shapes and angles that he would love to capture on paper but would never just jump into bed with without establishing a connection well before. 

He’d explained how his desire for monogamy made it impossible for him to have the open relationship like Victoire had wanted. How at first the emotional and physical connection between them had been passionate, but over the years she’d caught the eye of others - others who she had felt showered her with more affection, who had enjoyed flirting with her more. Teddy hadn’t been wired with a gage by which to objectively rate her attractiveness, instead he’d just found all his sexual energy was focused on her because of who she was. He was emotionally invested in _them_ as a _couple_. 

While she has been at the center of his world, the combination of her desire for more physical intimacy, his devotion to his art, and the ocean that was about to span between them had put her off wanting to be with him. She had wanted more and in the end she had left him, saying she was sorry and that she hoped they could still be friends. “Especially with our families being connected,” she had concluded as Teddy had stood up to signal the end of the conversation. “I wouldn’t want this to cause bad blood.” 

“You don’t get to talk about family when you’re leaving me,” Teddy had used every ounce of venom he could muster, “you don’t have any right!” He’d slammed the door in her face during his exit. 

Silent tears had joined the words pouring out of him as he’d laid the whole story at their feet. He had felt slightly guilty, but James hadn’t judged. Instead he’d just sat and listened. When Teddy finally stopped talking, James had moved in to sit in front of Teddy, blocking the light of the moon. He’d reached out and grabbed Teddy’s hands, hands that Teddy couldn’t change, and had given a reassuring squeeze. Holding tight, James had leaned in and simply said, “She didn’t deserve you,” with a note of finality, as if that was all there was to say on the subject, before pulling Teddy into a tight hug. It wasn’t until long after James had left that Teddy realized he’d morphed his hair back to turquoise.

Feeling a sense of déjà vu as he stared at the man that boy had become, Teddy couldn’t stop the words from flowing, “James, you might be the only person on the planet who’s done everything right.”

James stared at him quizzically. “Talk to me,” he implored suddenly, earnest look on his face. “You know we all care about you, right? Well, I guess I can’t speak for everyone, but I care about you." There was a small pause before, “or, you know what? We don’t have to talk about it. We can get ice cream and visit the top of the Empire State Building and yell into the wind like you like to do when you’re upset, right?”

“How did you know about that?”

“Oh, I’ve known that forever about you. Like, remember summer after my fifth year when you came back to visit us for my dad’s 40th and you had that argument with your Gran?”

Teddy nodded, it had been a scuffle between them regarding his life choices and her approval, or lack thereof.

“Well, of course the whole family noticed how tense the two of you were. You even went and turned your hair and eyes black. It was all a bit intimidating to be honest, you all goth like that. I'd never seen you like that before. Anyway when you went and grabbed my broom outta my room I was slightly upset. Well, more-so that you hadn’t asked me to borrow it more than anything, I was pretty young and dumb and all teenager back then, I mean I knew it was you and I’d get it back. But I was concerned, so I chased after you on Al’s broom, because you had my broom and all, and I guess I’ve always just chased after what’s mine. It’s part of what makes me a good Chaser.”

Teddy laughed at James’ attempt at a joke that felt a little too real, but James’ words managed to ring out with a true blue color that filled and brightened the room. 

“So, when I finally caught up to you, I caught your eyes as you morphed them back to amber and your hair to turquoise, and I felt like I was so…” his voice trailed off for a moment while he searched for the word, “special, you know? Because I got to witness that. You let me witness it.” The air felt heavy with anticipation, “Teddy, I’ve been wondering, I mean, er- why, why do you wear your hair strawberry blond these days?”

Teddy felt his lungs fill with air so dry it burned. He swallowed before starting in. “Strawberry blond works as a good palette for my clients and paintings. You know during my apprenticeship with Ruby?” James nodded as Teddy continued, “Well I used to change my hair to match the color of the paint I was using. It was totally unconscious on my part but it would drive Ruby nuts. Said I was going to give her a seizure,” Teddy smiled slightly at the memory of his mentor’s teasing, “She didn’t mean it, of course, but it did bother her, as it did many of my first clients. So I picked something that colors couldn’t absorb into or bounce off of and reflect back at me,” he shrugged. 

“Black hair would have absorbed all the colors. A solid color like pink or yellow or blue would look unprofessional, and besides it would throw off the frequencies of the colors I’m painting with so that would never do. Brown felt too ordinary, and we know far too many red heads,” he smiled sheepishly up at James. “That left blond and not having any color at all just didn’t feel like me.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” James reassured with a grin. “It actually kinda makes you look a little more like your dad. Well the pictures I’ve seen of your dad.”

“But you like turquoise better.” Teddy smiled.

“Turquoise is the Teddy I know,” James countered.

“And who is the Teddy you know?” he challenged.

James paused suddenly, looking far older than his age. Wandering over to his abandoned pumpkin juice, he took three long sips. Teddy started to think he wasn’t going to answer at all when the silence was broken.

“The Teddy I know is unassuming. He’s reliable, dependable, and very persistent. He’s inventive, generous, and considerate - most of the time anyway. But above all that,” here James took a long pause. Teddy wouldn't put it past him to be going for dramatic effect but couldn't shake the thought that maybe, just maybe, James needed the moment to muster up his courage to continue.

“Above all that,” he repeated, “the Teddy I know is talented. Those ancient runes on that sketchbook - they don’t lie, Teddy. You have an innate gift for what you do; the things you can create. That’s something I can’t do. I have talents, sure, but I can’t draw a stick figure. I’m awful at it.” James grinned apologetically before continuing, “I love watching you draw because, and this may sound a little, well, strange, but it’s captivating to watch your hands move across the page. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a pencil, or a crayon, or a paintbrush, bloody hell, even just your finger, because they're all just your vehicle for delivering the real story - just like a wand is for magic.”

Unconsciously, Teddy pulled the sleeve of his shirt down to fiddle with the hem. The move comforted him. 

When he had first started his apprenticeship, he had tried in earnest to figure out why his hands wouldn’t change. He’d visited Medi-witches, and even a Metamorphmagus specialist, convinced that if he could just change the shape of his nails, or his fingerprints, he would have more of a range as an artist - essentially an endless supply of paintbrush-like tools. Instead of finding answers though, no one had been able to offer him any solution or find any physical ailment. He just had a block on being able to change his hands, almost like his fingerprints were the artist signature on his body, never moving but part of the full picture. As a result, he spent many hours wondering if his mother had had body parts she couldn’t morph, if she would have had any answers for him had she lived. It was a dark train of thought that usually led Teddy to depression so he would push it aside. Just like he did now with his hair, as it morphed to turquoise. James was looking at him with a smile that radiated out golden. Teddy realized he was waiting for him to say something. 

“I-” he began, biting his lip as he realized he had no words, “I don’t know what to say.”

James nodded sagely, stepping closer to Teddy. “I’m constantly impressed by you,” he whispered, “you actually inspired me to follow my own dream of writing, you know? You’re, well it’s cliche to say ‘my hero,’ and that’s not quite right anyhow, but I- I realized years ago,” James turned beet red and suddenly Teddy felt like he was standing in quicksand. “I realized years ago that I was so glad to have you in my life,” James concluded in a rush. 

Teddy laughed, trying to lighten the mood for both of them. “What about Freddie, or Albus, or Lily, or-”

James waved him off. “They don’t replace you,” he said, “you’re unique in my world.”

“Good to know I occupy a special place in your world. Meanwhile, in my world, I’d like to know what you want to do tonight.” Teddy was hyper aware of the awkward and blunt subject change but the heat building in his chest was making it hard to breathe.

“Crisis averted then?” James asked, refusing to let the old line of discussion die just yet but relief hung in the air.

“Of course, silly. In fact, I think I have a good idea of what to do tonight,” Teddy said clapping James on the back and pulling out his phone.

“Can we go to a club?” James asked excitedly, all trace of the previous seriousness apparently forgotten.

“You’re only twenty, they won’t serve you or even let you in.” American drinking laws were so much stricter than British ones, and Teddy didn’t feel like messing with memory charms or ID alterations to get a beer, thank-you-very-much. And all the Wizarding establishments had age detectors that would kick them out right away. “But I was thinking we could visit Times Square - it will be packed because it always is, and it doesn’t help that it’s a Friday night, but the lights and energy there, I think you’ll like it,” Teddy said while putting the Apparition coordinates into his phone.

James' eyes lit up but there was a small frown on his face. “Wait. Will you like it?” he asked with caution.

“Yeah, of course I will. I’m going with you,” Teddy supplied with a smile, stuffing his sketchbook and wand in his bag and grabbing his jacket. “C’mon, we can grab some food on the way.” 

James nodded and finished the remainder of his pumpkin juice, tossing the bottle into the bin with his signature Chaser’s flair. With a smug smile on his face, he grabbed his things as Teddy called out, “Oh, and James?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. Your words, they really meant a lot.” Teddy pushed the door open and turned around to meet his eyes. “Now, let’s go see what trouble we can cause.”

The grin on James’ face was bright enough to hang the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, beautiful readers - Michele here. I discussed it over with my super awesome beta and, due to the world being quarantined, we've decided to increase the post schedule. Posting Mondays and Fridays until Covid is (C)over - double the goodness coming to you soon.
> 
> In the meantime, if you want to chat or see more Jeddy awesome-ness join me on [tumblr](https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/)
> 
> As always, comments and kudos make my day - and in this time of social isolation they're extra special :D
> 
> I love you all - stay safe and healthy!


	5. Good as Gold

**Chapter 5 - Good as Gold**

The incessant tapping of two owls against his window woke Teddy that Tuesday morning just before sunrise.

One was snowy white and official looking, the other was small and brown and a constant at his window. With a groan he rolled out of bed and unlatched the lock, pushing the pane to one side to allow both the cool autumn air and the owls inside. He pulled the scroll from the brown owl with ease and removed the more formal looking letter from the white owl by untying a navy blue satin ribbon. He fed them both some owl treats before sending them on their way - if he needed to respond by post, he’d stop by an OwlTrac later. 

Pulling on a pair of old Hufflepuff sweatpants, Teddy grabbed his wand off the nightstand and walked into his living room where James had slept on his sofa for the past five nights. The days had flown by, with both of them working and James going out of his way to explore every corner of New York City with Teddy in his spare time. If Teddy was being honest with himself, James was starting to become a fixture in his life and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted him to go or what he would do with himself once James’ story was complete and he went back across the pond. He pushed the thought aside.

“Good morning, sunshine,” James said in a voice far too cheerful for the early hour. 

Teddy’s entrance must not have been as quiet as he’d thought.

“The sun isn’t even up yet,” he replied dryly.

James' grin was far too bright for 5:45 in the morning. “Early enough for a run. And don’t you know, Teddy? You are the sunshine.”

James' flirtatious personality had only increased these past few days and Teddy couldn't decide what he meant by it and what he didn’t, so he’d chalked it all up to James being James and wrote it off. 

“You’ve got mail?” James gestured to the letters in Teddy’s left hand while sitting up on the couch. Teddy flopped down beside him, the spot still warm from James’ body heat. He nodded in reply.

“Who’s it from then?”

Teddy wasn’t entirely sure, besides the occasional owl from Harry or James, he didn’t get too much personal mail these days thanks to the WizNet. Typically all his work related correspondence was sent to his studio, not much diverting to his flat, but there was still one person Teddy knew that still relied on owls for daily communication.

Sure enough, he unrolled it to see the familiar handwriting of Troy Jonker. While apprenticing under Ruby, Teddy and Troy had met and become fast friends. An incredible graphic and pop artist, Troy had an unparalleled flair for modern design but, despite his futuristic and minimalist aesthetic, Troy flat out refused to get a cell phone. 

“My family makes wands, Teddy. What do I need a phone for?” he’d insist, continually sending his owl to Teddy as Teddy refused to communicate with his patronus. This morning’s letter confirmed that, yes, he and Jennifer would be going to trivia tonight at The Pink Pony, and could Teddy please show up this week? Even if it meant they had to drag him out of his studio, they hoped he would make an effort because they missed his face and were giving him plenty of notice this time. Plus, Jenn was bringing her coworker Melody again, so they would have enough for a team of four. 

Teddy looked over at James. “How do you feel about trivia?” he asked. “Want to join me and my friends after work tonight for a team of five?”

“Random knowledge? And I get to meet your friends? I'm in! I'll even buy you a beer.”

"You can't buy me a beer. They won't serve you," he replied, shaking his head. James was way too excited about this for the early hour. “And unlike me, you can’t Metamorphmagy yourself up a few years.”

“Bummer, I’ll have to think of something else then,” James frowned, but it didn’t linger as his curiosity got the better of him. “Is the other from a friend as well? Looks really fancy.”

Teddy looked down at the ornate white envelope that was addressed to him in a formal font. He turned it over to see a multicolored seal featuring a Sphinx holding the envelope shut. “I honestly don’t know,” he said as he slid his fingers under the wax and pulled out a formal piece of parchment that boasted a letterhead from The Desk of Jason Fischer. It read:

It was signed with a flourish.

Teddy closed the note and reopened it again. The words didn’t change. “A meeting, with me,” he muttered, “with me?”

James took the letter out of Teddy’s hands and scanned it, “Teddy! Teddy, this is amazing!”

Teddy couldn’t seem to find his voice so James continued for him, “We need to celebrate! Tell everyone - this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! How often does the creator of WizNet get in touch with us ‘regular people?’ Well I guess he did go out of his way to introduce himself to my dad that one time, but that’s my dad, you know? But he always has people sucking up to him - just a day in the life,” James handed the letter back to Teddy and rolled over, grabbing his wand. “Accio protein bar,” the bar popped out of his bag and James tore into it. Mouth full he leaned into Teddy and continued around his food, “You’re going to write back, right? You have to set up a meeting! You can’t-” Teddy’s hand was suddenly covering James’ mouth, effectively shutting him up.

“Anyone ever tell you you talk too much for 6am?” Teddy teased, lowering his arm.

A dreamy look crossed James eyes for a second before he shifted backwards, “Only everyday at Hogwarts,” he laughed, “I was beloved in my dorm.”

“I bet you were.”

“Oh, I definitely was. Voted Mr. Congeniality seven years running. Who doesn’t love me?”

“I can see that did wonders for your ego, Mr. Potter.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Mr. Lupin,” James took another bite of protein bar, “but, honestly, that letter. I’m not mistaken, that’s a big deal, right?” 

“It’s a big deal.”

“And you’re going to meet with them, right?”

“I have to figure out what to write back,” Teddy hung his head, trying to hide his blush and uncertainty.

“Er- Teddy?”

“Yeah?”

“You know you’re in the presence of the World-Famous-Journalist, right?”

Teddy grinned, “World famous, huh?”

“International even,” James nodded sagely, “all you have to do is ask me to help you draft a reply.”

Teddy hit him with the letter.

“HEY!” James laughed, “no pressure, just thought I’d offer my services.”

“Your services?” Teddy smirked.

“You know what I mean,” James eyes sparkled, “unless you want it to mean something else, just say the word.”

“Oh, you prat!” Teddy laughed tapping him lightly again.

“You love me, and you know it.”

“Mhmm.” Teddy didn’t deny it. 

“Well it’s a serious offer, think it over. In the meantime, I’m going to take a shower. I finally got a good lead on my story and I need to look good if I am going to get her to talk.” James stood up.

“Oh? And just what is your article about?”

James looked back with a mischievous look on his face, “Teddy, this story is going to be my big break. You know Madison Graves?”

Teddy gave him a quizzical look. “You mean the granddaughter of Percival Graves? She’s practically royalty here. Her family is always at the center of something political. I guess that’s what happens when your family created the Auror program here in the states. Don't tell me you’re planning on throwing in your lot with her?”

James shook his head. “No, but I am going to get an interview with her today. Rumor has it she has some information on President Quahog and I’ll be damned if I don’t get it first.”

“Confident much?”

“Confidence will get you anywhere, Teddy-boy. Just you watch, this will be the story of the year. In fact, mark my words, by the time you introduce me to your friends tonight I will have my next lead and you will have a meeting with Justin Fischer.”

Teddy snorted as James walked out of the room. “Mark my words!” he called into the hall before the bathroom door slammed shut.

* * *

Hours later the sun was setting as Teddy and James pushed open the door to The Pink Pony, a small restaurant and bar in the middle of the magical street of Brooklyn. Teddy could tell by the look on James’ face that his day hadn’t gone quite as planned but now was not the time to ask him about it. 

The bar was even more packed and louder than the typical trivia night. Teddy saw a lot of new faces he didn’t know, but he did recognize a few of the regulars who gathered to play every week. He waved to a couple that turned their heads while others started taking notice of James. A ripple of whispers followed them both through the bar as Teddy and James made their way towards a man with a larger frame, who was wildly waving his arms, a large grin on his face. With light brown hair that was perfectly trimmed, complete with a goatee and blue eyes, shining bright and kind. He gave off a unique vibration Teddy could only describe as chartreuse that well complimented the natural purple tone of the petite woman who sat beside him, her thick dark hair running down to the middle of her back. Teddy smiled as he walked over to them and pulled out a chair.

“Hey Teddy, when you said you were bringing a friend tonight I didn’t think you’d be bringing Witch Weekly’s most eligible bachelor,” Troy gave Teddy a knowing look as he greeted his friend. Teddy had owled him back earlier so there wouldn’t be any surprises when he showed up with James, but apparently he hadn’t been specific enough.

Teddy rolled his eyes, “Great to see you too, Troy. Troy, meet James Potter. James, this is Troy and his amazing wife, Jennifer.” 

James held out his hand to shake across the table. “Nice to meet you both. It’s nice to know my notable accomplishments made it across the pond,” James winked. 

Troy and Jennifer exchanged a look.

“Good to meet you too, James,” Jennifer offered with a smile, her typical purple frequency rolling off in waves towards Teddy. He felt oddly relieved at that.

“So, where’s Melody?” Teddy asked, flagging down their regular server.

“She’s on her way,” Jennifer answered, “Said we could go ahead and order without her.”

“Oh good, I’m starving. And James here will need a menu.”

“I will too, we can’t all have the menu memorized backwards and forwards like you do,” Troy lamented sarcastically.

“That’s because I usually get the same things,” Teddy laughed.

“That you do,” their server, Xavier, stood at the end of the table, spare menus in hand. Passing them down the table he turned to Teddy, quill in hand poised to write. “Will it be the chicken tenders or the sliders today, boss?” he asked.

“Chicken tenders with ranch, please.”

“A Stella with that?”

Teddy nodded, and then reconsidered. “Actually, can I get a Wizarding Palmer? Made with Peachtree Fizzing Tea, please.”

“You got it, boss.”

Jennifer went next, “An order of red pepper hummus please, and another one of those Palmers, please and thank you.”

Xavier smiled, “Got it. Anything else? Roasted Turkey Club for you?” turning to Troy.

“Yes, please.”

“And for you?” he asked James, “Do you need a minute?”

“Don’t order the fish-n’-chips. They don’t compare to home. I swear they’re frozen.” Teddy informed James, leaning in to look at the menu over his shoulder. 

“And chicken tenders aren’t?”

“I’ll have you know that chicken was caught fresh today, thank-you-very-much!” Teddy laughed, “Besides, Xavier serves the best chicken tenders in this city and I dare anyone to say otherwise.”

Teddy didn’t know when he became so fascinated with hearing James laugh.

“I’ll have the hot pastrami on rye and a pumpkin juice,” James ordered, passing his menu over as Xaiver marked it down.

“Sorry I’m late, Jenn,” a young witch boasting perfect blonde ringlets and rosey red lips rushed over to their table and gave Jennifer a hug. “I couldn’t Apparate out of that office quick enough. Did I miss anything?”

“Only introductions and food ordering. Trivia hasn’t started yet,” Jenn replied. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

Her ringlets bounced as she took her seat and ordered a Green Goddess salad, dressing on the side, and a water. Xavier moved to put their order in and she turned her attention to the table’s newcomer.

“Hi, I’m Melody,” she held out her perfectly manicured hand. 

“James.”

“Oh, you’re British! Friend of yours, Teddy?” she asked.

“From way back,” James supplied.

“Nice of you to visit. Are you in town long?”

“I’m in for work, not sure how long the assignment will last.”

Oddly Teddy was okay with that explanation.

Melody nodded, “Well, welcome to the madness,” she grinned and James matched her smile. Teddy felt his chest tighten and looked at his feet, shoving down what felt like jealousy.

“So, Teddy, you going to write the answers for us this week?” Troy asked, handing over the answer booklet and anti-cheating-quill. 

“I will if James doesn’t want to.”

“You know you have better handwriting than me. And besides, I've never been to a trivia night before.”

“So what do you do for fun?” Melody asked.

“Ern, play Quidditch mostly. Write sometimes, I suppose.”

“Are you an artist like Troy and Teddy here?” Jennifer piped up as drinks were magically delivered to the table.

“No, no,” James laughed, grabbing his glass of coke out of the air, “I can barely draw stick figures. I leave the artistry to the professionals.” He looked over at Troy, “Do you paint portraits too?”

“No, I mostly do commercial work these days. Newspaper and WizNet comics, advertising and marketing pieces, stuff like that. I apprenticed to be a portrait artist but I never took to it like Teddy here did; the charms to tune the paints were a bit too complicated for me, and while I enjoyed painting them I could never quite capture people how I wanted. Plus, Teddy’s work always put mine to shame.”

“That’s not true, we just have totally different styles,” Teddy laughed, turning to James. “Ruby used to pit us against each other painting the same still-lifes. She would give us each a historical artist to use as inspiration and have us paint pieces though that lens. One time she assigned him pop-art and that was it - Troy took to it like a regular Andy Warhol.”

“He means more like Keith Haring,” Troy countered, naming the most famous Wizarding pop artist of all time, even Muggles and No-Maj worldwide knew his work, “And he worked right here in New York.”

“The greatest city in the world,” Melody practically sang.

“Yeah, yeah,” James waved them off but leaned forward with renewed interest, stealing glances over at Teddy as the host of trivia cast _Sonorus_.

“Alright, witches and wizards, sorcerers of all the land, are you ready to play The Quizengamot?”

“The Quizengamot?” James mouthed over at Teddy who shrugged and chuckled as if to say ‘I didn’t come up with the name.’

“I am your host, Lester, and for the next couple of hours I am going to take you through several rounds of questions that will test your knowledge, wits, and maybe win you a few beers along the way.” There were a few chuckles around the bar.

“First place wins a bar tab,” Troy informed James, “good for both food and drinks - trust the promise of free alcohol to get us out here every week. Plus we tend to come out on top.” 

“Well, I play to win,” James took a sip of his coke to match Teddy drinking his Palmer.

“There will be six rounds tonight, plus a seventh bonus round,” Lester announced, “as always each round will have a category. What are they, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to stay and play to find out! Now, for the pesky rules. Rule number one: no more than six players to a team. I don’t care if you’re a vampire, werewolf, or a half-giant, if I see more than six people on one team you will not be able to win any prizes. Rule number two: if the answers are not written with the anti-cheating-quill they won’t count. I know some people like to take notes in crayon,” at this he shot Teddy’s table a look, “But that’s hard to read anyway and I can’t grade it.” 

“Teddy once handed in the wrong paper,” Jennifer explained to James, “It almost cost us the game and Lester won’t let us forget it.”

“I can’t help it if the answers in blue felt more correct than the anti-cheat-quill,” Teddy elaborated like he’d said this all a million times before. “And besides I was very very drunk that night, you all remember-“

“That was the day Teddy here was dumped,” Troy said, gaze heavy. “We knew he was extremely upset because he’s never a heavy drinker. But we couldn't figure out why because that relationship never felt all that serious anyway, lasted all of three months or so. Anyway, I always thought that guy was bad news, and then Teddy shows up drunk, because he’d already pre-gamed, and continued to pine his way through several more rounds. So it comes time to turn in our final round and our resident synesthetic over here grabs his notes in the blue crayon because it freaking _feels_ better and tries to hand it in,” Troy was now laughing with the ease of an old story he’d told a million times. “Almost cost us the game that week.” 

“We still won!” Teddy protested. 

“Yeah! No thanks to you,” the tone was harsh but Troy was still smiling, “I am most certainly not sorry you broke it off with that prick.”

“Yeah, he was a piece of work, wasn’t he?” Teddy grinned and clicked his glass against Troy’s pint, “Live and learn.”

“Wait, backup - synesthetic? You mean like synesthesia?” James blinked.

“Of course!” Troy nudged Teddy with his shoulder, “You didn’t know?”

James shook his head. Teddy suddenly felt like the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He turned slowly towards James, “It’s not exactly something I lead with, but I guess by the time I had figured out the word for it I had moved to America.”

“Why do you think he’s so good at painting? Puts my skills to shame and we trained together,” Troy praised. “Regular Vasily Kandinsky this one - he had synesthesia too, you know,” he said, probably mostly for James’ benefit but it was Melody who asked “Who?”

“Famous Moscow abstractionist painter,” Teddy rolled his eyes, “And I’m nowhere near his level.”

“Oh yes you are-” Troy reassured.

“Sh - first round’s about to start,” Jennifer cut in, as James shot Teddy a look that clearly conveyed, ‘We are not done talking about this.’

“Alright ladies and gents, tonight’s round one is all about fantastic beasts and magical creatures. Let’s get started with question one of round one: How are Basilisks bred?”

“Where’s Charlie when you need him, huh Teddy?” James asked.

“Oh, c’mon, this one’s easy, James. Everyone knows Basilisks are born by -” Teddy's voice trailed off but he wrote down ‘by hatching a chicken egg under a toad.’ “I know you know this.”

James blushed and nodded, sheepish golden glow indicating to Teddy that he had indeed known the answer, just as Melody exclaimed, “Oh! That’s right! I read a novel recently that took place during the middle ages and they mentioned something about that.”

“You didn’t learn it in school?” James asked, clearly curious, but looked relieved when Lester talked over him with the next question so she couldn’t answer.

“Question two: In 1912 former Minister for Magic Venusia Crickerly was killed in her garden when she accidentally encountered what creature?”

“Write down Mandrake, Teddy,” James ordered.

“What? How do you know that?” Teddy asked.

“Unlike some people, I actually enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. If you’d paid attention, Professor Sprout would mention this every year around Mandrake season,” James said with a winning smile and a hint of sarcasm, pushing his hair back off his face.

“Well, we can’t all be wonder boy geniuses,” Teddy teased while scribbling the answer down.

“If that was true, why didn’t you know how Basilisks are bred?” Melody asked in a teasing tone.

James looked at her and opened his mouth to reply when Lester called out, “Question number three in round one: pesky things those Hodags, Wisconsinites everywhere know that these magical beasts only come out during the full moon looking for what exactly?”

“Full moon hunters? Not werewolves?” Teddy asked, trying to puzzle it out in his head. 

“The answer is Mooncalves, Teddy, everyone knows that,” Jennifer said.

“Trust her, she’s from Wisconsin,” Troy put in as he flagged Xavier over for another round.

The questions continued as their food floated over to their table. As round one concluded, Teddy felt pretty confident they had gotten the majority of questions right. 

Round two turned out to be a music round during which Jennifer showed off her knowledge about all things Wizarding Pop. “Merton Graves wasn’t the cellist yet when The Weird Sisters put out this song in 1994,” she informed the table when question three asked them to identify the artist and title of the band’s song _Magic Works_. When _Draco Malfoy_ by Swish and Flick was played for question seven, Jennifer was appalled when no one else knew the tune. “I swear, even _No-Maj_ know about Swish and Flick and their ‘Yes All Witches’ summer tour. They organized the first annual New York City Witch Rock Concerts to highlight female wizard rockers!” She delivered these fun facts with a ‘How do you not know this?’ look that made everyone laugh. They ended up only missing one song in round two.

Round three was all about Greek myths and constellations. Between Teddy and James’ collective knowledge they scored decently high. The fourth round served up questions all about International Ministries around the world. With the help of Jennifer and Melody, both colleagues at the MACUSA, they collectively felt like they did okay on that round. Though, in between questions, Teddy noticed James was trying to ask additional ones about what it was like to work there, frowning quite a bit as if his mind was on something else. It was not a look Teddy liked seeing, the frequency was too serious and didn’t belong on James’ face.

The fifth round was filled with tricky questions about potion ingredients and various brews, so when Lester announced the sixth round was going to be all about Quidditch, James grinned wide in relief.

“Now this I can help with!”

“You helped us in other rounds,” Teddy pointed out.

“True, but this is a topic I know,” James emphasized the word ‘know’, confidence vibrating out of his whole body. From other people, it might seem arrogant, but on James it just felt normal.

“We’ll need it,” Melody laughed, “I don’t think any of us, save for Teddy, have ever really played much Quidditch.”

“We are lucky to have you on our team, James my man-” Troy clinked his third beer against James’ coke, “We’re bound to get a perfect score this round!”

“Huh?” Melody asked.

“Oh, there's no way you could have missed it, Mel!” Jennifer laughed, “James Potter here - you have to know he was on the cover of Witch Weekly several times, “Wonder Boy of Wynwood.” You’re credited for being able to play any position, right? Rumor has it Puddlemere United offered you a contract-”

“Jennifer, I will get you a perfect score on this round if you promise not to bring up that Puddlemere rumor again tonight,” James was grinning but Teddy could sense the seriousness and unease in his eyes, the frequency a flash but palpable. “Or ever again.”

Jenn nodded as Melody's eyes lit up like she’d just won a million dragots. “You’re-” she started but thought better of it and closed her mouth.

“I am,” James gave her the same smile he gave Stephanie and Marie on the day he arrived in New York. Teddy wondered how long it took James to perfect that smile that carried no frequency with it.

“Question one, round six. Until famed metalsmith Bowman Wright created the Snitch in the nineteenth century, a one-hundred-and-fifty galleon bet for catching - what - nearly led to its extinction?”

“Golden Snidget,” James whispered harshly at Teddy who wrote it down.

“Maybe you should just give him the paper, Teddy - this is clearly going to be his round,” Troy waved in James’ direction.

Teddy looked down protectively at the answer sheets. He’d drawn small sketches in the margins, in between the questions, and with each passing round his lines and shapes had become more and more complex. He'd been periodically passing the quill back and forth between his left and right hands, an old habit he fell into sometimes as if he couldn’t determine if it felt better to push or pull the quill across the page as his fingers formed the shapes of the letters. The constant switching gave him the freedom to write at all times, which allowed him to eat, drink, and still keep up during every round of the trivia. Every now and again he’d notice James' eyes following his hands as he drew on the parchment, tracing his movements like following an intricate dance. But, as Teddy considered handing the answer sheets over to James, he was struck with just how attached he’d become to this role in his little group of friends and felt like, by handing it off, he might be surrendering his spot.

Teddy’s fears were not quite founded in reality he realized, but then, a good majority of his fears were not. 

When he was younger, he used to wake up from a recurring nightmare involving looking into a mirror and seeing himself reflected back. Except it wasn’t him: his face was a blob with no distinguishable features or color. He would wake up and immediately reach for his face to make sure it was still there, morph the size of his nose or change his hair just to prove he could. To remind himself that he was Edward Lupin and his body had form and shape. Tangible evidence that his lack of reflection in the dream didn’t mean he wasn’t real, that he was more than a blank canvas for other people to try and paint features on to.

But the idea that he was a blank slate for others to manipulate at will, or for Teddy to lose the essence of himself in, lodged deep in his psyche. It was as ingrained in him as his loyalty, his sense of fair-play, his minor obsessive tendencies, and his perfectionism. The feeling that Teddy would always be the outsider trying to work his way into the group became intertwined with his actions. It was part of the reason behind his quiet nature, his agreeableness, his outwardly shy yet friendly demeanor. Teddy knew that others couldn't change their appearance at will, that they didn’t hear colors or see shapes as vibrations, so he didn’t talk about what made him different. Opening up tended to only cause more trouble than it was worth.

Except with James.

Teddy slid the answer sheets over toward James along with the pink anti-cheat-quill and breathed in deeply as their fingers brushed up against each other. James, who between the two of them was objectively the better writer - despite his assertion that Teddy had better handwriting. James, whose smile vibrated at the frequency of gold. James, with the confidence to take on the world. James, who was looking at Teddy like he’s the most important person in the room.

Teddy knew his cheeks were turning red and he fought the morph. He was not jealous of James, he realized, not in this case. He was in awe of him.

“Question two - After winning the Quidditch World Cup in 2006, Seeker Joshua Sankara was promptly named Minister for Magic of what country, a title he held for a grand total of two days?”

James smiled as he wrote down Burkinabé. Teddy found himself watching his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jason Fischer's letter is also posted here: https://bit.ly/39ct9Q7 
> 
> Anyone catch the small Hamilton reference? They're in New York so I had to sneak one in ^_^
> 
> I love you all - come and hang out with me on tumblr for more Jeddy goodness: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/
> 
> Comments and Kudos make my day! Stay safe and healthy and I will see all you beautiful people Friday.


	6. True Colors

**Chapter 6 - True Colors**

“Your friends are great!” James boasted for the eighth time that night before falling back onto Teddy’s sofa and into his lap.

“Oi- budge over,” Teddy laughed at finding James’ head in his lap.

“Nope, I’m going to stay right here to make you very uncomfortable,” James joked, turning around to face Teddy.

The night had ended very well as their team ended up taking first place by a single point - “You can thank me for my contributions later,” James had toasted good naturedly. Afterwards they’d somehow made it out of the bar without anyone asking James for a selfie. They’d said goodbye outside with hugs all around, and Jennifer had extended an open invitation to James for him to come back anytime to which Melody and Troy agreed enthusiastically. 

Before they Apparated away, Troy had pulled Teddy to the side, “Don’t lose that one,” he’d winked, “He’s good for you.” Teddy had felt uncomfortably warm as he tried to wave Troy off. He’d known James Potter since the day he was born. But then, Teddy considered, they hadn't really grown up together. He was only an honorary member of the Potter-Weasley tribe anyway. Except for the occasional Sunday night dinner or when his Gran had needed a last minute babysitter, it would be James with his siblings and Teddy with his Gran. Teddy had thought of articulating some of this to Troy, but his friend had already turned away with a smile, offering a “see you next week” before wrapping his arms around Jennifer to Side-Along her home.

That had left Teddy to do the same, and that’s how they found themselves on Teddy's couch, James reclined across it while Teddy sat on one end with a lap full of James Potter.

“Should I be uncomfortable with you there?” he asked, looking down. His face held a sloppy grin.

“Nah! Course not!” James rolled over, pulling back to rest his cheek on Teddy’s leg, “And now I’m more comfortable.”

“Of course you are.” Teddy didn't know when his living room had begun vibrating with laughter, but he didn't want it to go away. 

“Tell me something, Ted-ward,” James said, a serious purple vibration creeping onto his face, taking the place of his laughter as it faded.

“Yes?”

“Synesthesia?”

Teddy should have known he wasn’t getting out of that one very easily.

“Yeah?” he replied, resigned, “What about it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” James looked slightly hurt, “You tell me everything. Or I thought you did. Or you used to. I don’t know. I mean you don’t have to tell me, of course, but I thought you knew that you could tell me anything.”

“James-”

“I mean I tell you loads. Even after you moved here, I still sent you letters every other day from Hogwarts.”

“James-” Teddy tried again.

“And then-”

“Jamie!”

That shut James up, his hands falling limp at his side. Teddy didn’t stop his hands from coming up to brush some of the hair from James’ face.

“James, it’s okay. I don’t talk about my synesthesia much because, well, I’m already different enough, aren’t I?” Teddy let out a sigh before holding up his hand to tick off the points one-by-one, “Orphan of two war heroes, my father was a werewolf, my mother was a Metamorphmagus, I'm a Metamorphmagus, my godfather is Harry Potter, I'm Pan AND Demisexual. I don’t feel any desire to add to the list of things that make me unique, or cause someone to alert another Medi-witch. Troy only knows because he literally guessed - he stopped me one day after we were taught a particularly challenging but essential color matching charm, the one that infuses the pigment with the ability to eventually have motion,” Teddy looked down at James and gave him a soft, wary smile. “But the tricky thing about those charms is they’re slightly different for each color. I picked up on those differences too fast. So he cornered me afterwards.

“He asked me what my secret was and I told him that I didn’t really know, I just listen to the frequency of the color and then match the spells from there. He looked at me like I had grown a third head before he burst out laughing. Told me that was a really good joke. Except I wasn’t joking. The next day he asked me if I had synesthesia.”

“So, how does it work?” James asked.

“Well, let’s see. I’m not sure how to explain it.”

“Just try.”

“You’re too encouraging,” Teddy said as he smiled, “and you’re still in my lap.”

“I like it here, it’s comfortable. Stop trying to change the subject.”

“Alright, alright,” Teddy drew in a breath, “I suppose it’s like this: everything in my head falls into pretty much one of two categories at their base, colors or shapes.”

James nodded on Teddy’s leg.

“And colors and shapes each have their own frequency. Kinda like sound, but more like waves. I can hear them, or feel them, and then use them to tune the color or shape how I want it. Or maybe the waves guide me? I don’t know. Either way I’ve had this, what to call it - Obsession? Condition? - for as long as I can remember.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

“Is it?”

“Of course it is! My brain doesn't do any of that. Words or sounds don’t light up as colors in my head. Sometimes I’ll see things spelled out, of course, like when someone introduces themselves to me and I’ll see their name spelled out in my mind, but I figured that was only a weird memory tactic I concocted,” James sat up to pull a blanket over himself before lying back down, this time so his head lined up with Teddy’s hand, “So what do you see when you look at colors?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Try me.”

“They look like, er- well look or feel like, frequency. Sometimes I can feel them, sometimes I can hear them or see them, and sometimes it's all three together. It’s like waves in the air - at times they’re dense and compact. Other times they’re light and spread out. Kind of like music, except it’s only one note per color.”

“Or shape?”

“Or shape,” Teddy agreed, looking down. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever felt so free to talk about this.

“I’m glad you told me, Teddy,” James said, “I do wish I had known sooner but this actually makes a lot of things make sense.” 

The room set into a comfortable pink vibration.

“Teddy, can I ask you something?”

“Did you not just?”

James laughed, “Alright, something else.” 

“Go for it.”

“Why didn’t you tell your friends the good news?”

Teddy shot him a quizzical look.

“About Jason Fischer. I mean they would want to celebrate with you, right?”

“Oh, yeah they would. But nothing is official yet. I wrote out my reply a couple times this afternoon before I had the wording how I wanted it. Tomorrow I will stop by OwlTrac to mail it out.”

“Don’t wait on that one, Teddy. If you want I can take it for you and drop it off tomorrow before I go into work.”

“That would be great actually, but please don’t go out of your way-”

James held his hand up, “It’s more out of the way for you than it is for me. Plus then I can say I really was your assistant, helping you to post your reply and all.”

“Well if you’re sure.”

“I am,” James sat up suddenly. Teddy missed the warmth in his lap. “Oh, Teddy! That reminds me - now you have to set up an account on MajGram!”

Teddy laughed, “I suppose I do. Will you help me?”

“Merlin helps those who help themselves.”

“God, where did you learn that one? Spending too much time with your Uncle Percy?”

“Of course not. Besides, I think that one came from Al anyway.”

“Merlin help us all! I am so getting that man a self-help book for Christmas.”

James shook his head, “I tried that once already, it didn’t work.”

“A big one, with pictures and illustrations.”

“Only you would think that a self-help book would need pictures and illustrations. Not that that is a bad thing, mind. It’s just Al would probably appreciate a new toaster or frying pan more. Merlin knows it would get more use.”

“Your brother likes to read and visuals are everything, James. Don’t try to tell an artist otherwise,” Teddy dissolved into a fit of giggles at his own joke. James looked on, an amused look on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking how nice it is to hear you laugh so much.”

“Funny, I’ve been thinking how much more I have been laughing since you got here.”

“Yeah I do tend to have that effect on people,” James said confidently, pushing his hair back in a motion that attempted to be cheesy but didn’t quite hit its mark because it was _James_ \- James with the perfect smile that vibrated golden yellow when he’s around Teddy.

And suddenly something inside Teddy snapped into place. The realization felt like coming home, so special and ordinary all at the same time. Like James’ presence and very existence held the key to a treasure that had lain dormant within Teddy for years. 

He had feelings for one James Potter. 

He had always liked James, he was easily Teddy’s biggest fan, but the moment brought to life the very real, deeper feelings he’d never really experienced before. And, suddenly, Teddy felt actual fear grip his heart.

James noticed the energy shift, “Ern - Earth to Teddy?”

“Yeah? I’m here,” came his dazed reply.

“Really? You looked a million miles away just then.”

 _I was,_ Teddy thought, _but I was also right here with you._ But all he vocalized was, “Just thinking.”

“Care to share with the class?”

When Teddy realized he liked Victoire, there had already been signs: they had already gone on a couple of dates, shared a handful of kisses, and talked for hours getting to know each other better. She had pursued him and he had agreed to her advances because he craved feeling normal and not being seen as the awkward, introverted artist who could see colors or as the boy with no parents who could change his body at will. She had found his Metamorphmagus abilities fascinating and would often ask Teddy to change things about his appearance for her amusement. Teddy acquiesced a majority of the time because it felt like she was seeing all the things that made him special and different.

There was no one on the planet that made Teddy feel more special than James did though. James knew so much about him and yet always wanted to know more. Teddy couldn’t think of a time when James had not treated what he could do with wonder and amazement. Still, there was a difference between him being James’ favorite person and being someone James wanted to date. 

Despite numerous flirty moments, like now with James’ head laying in Teddy’s lap, he had never seriously thought about them together. Now that he had he felt completely lost. He was always the slow one when it came to romance, so surely James would have made the first move already if he was interested in men, or Teddy specifically. James always brazenly went after what he wanted. Troy’s parting words from earlier that night rolled around in his head. Looking down at James’ expectant face, Teddy allowed himself to hope for just a moment.

“Just something Troy said earlier,” Teddy answered, sticking to a version of the truth he could live with.

“Anything in particular? I liked Troy. He seemed cool. I’m glad I got to meet him,” James said with approval, “I can see why you two are friends.”

“He really liked meeting you. He, Jennifer and Melody all agreed you could come back - that’s high praise.”

James laughed out loud while sitting up a little only to throw himself backwards on the couch, landing squarely on his Hufflepuff pillow. He reached around and pulled it out from under him, hugging it close to his chest. The scene made him look adorable, hair messy, eyes impossibly green, and arms softly wrapped around the pillow. Teddy wondered what it would be like to be wrapped up in them. 

Clearly five nights of James crashing on his couch had fried Teddy’s brain.

“...I really liked them,” James said as Teddy’s brain switched back on.

“Yeah, they’re good people,” Teddy absentmindedly supplied, blinking heavily.

“Well you’re the best people, and the best people know good people. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from your friends. Even if you had to come all the way to America to meet them.”

“What in the world is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad!” James blurted out defensively, hands up in front of him. Teddy resisted the urge to reach out and push them down. “All I meant was, well, I know you always had a tight group of friends at Hogwarts, you know? I know there was Jade and Ben, and Victoire of course, but you always sorta kept to yourself. Not that I’m judging, mind, it’s just something I noticed. But then there’s not many wizards in London like you, is there?” 

“What? A Metamorphmagus? Son of a werewolf? A synesthetic?” Teddy found his voice ratcheting up unconsciously, a bit miffed at how much the words reminded him of his past and taking it out on James. “Or did you mean a pansexual? Or maybe a-”

“An artist!”

Teddy stared dumbfounded at James. He could see the hurt on the other man’s face and it tugged at his heartstrings.

“I meant an artist. I meant the Teddy I know, the one who’s fascinated by portraits and loves to create things,” James' voice held frustration and sounded raw to Teddy’s ears. “Don’t make the mistake, Teddy Lupin, of thinking for one second that you corner the market on struggling to figure out who you are. Merlin knows we all struggle. Do you think I woke up one morning and just decided all my flaws were okay? That accepting I’m the son of a war hero whose actions I will never live up to, or figuring out what I want to do with my life, or discovering that I’m gay has been easy? No, it’s been a conscious choice, every single day, to live in the spotlight like everything is okay, like I’m not some bloody freak show that the world gets to judge because they know my name! So, yes, Teddy, you are all those things you just mentioned, and those things are a part of you, but they’re not-” here James let out a great sigh. "They're not what I see when I look at you."

"What do you see then?"

James took his time, clearly planning his words. "Teddy, do you realize your hair has been turquoise all night?"

Teddy was completely bewildered, “What kind of question is that?” 

“An important one! How you look indicates how you feel. Turquoise, it’s for when you feel comfortable. Happy. Right?”

Teddy felt a little dumbfounded having the truth of it spelled out in his face. He mustered up his courage and nodded blankly. 

“You’ve always been the quieter one with all of us,” James continued, “but that never meant you weren’t expressive. On the contrary since you are the most creative of us all. And I noticed back at Hogwarts, and even before then, that you didn't have anyone who could relate to you on that level. I loved watching you draw, but I couldn't even manage a stick figure,” James laughed dryly and Teddy felt something crack open in his chest and start to bleed out. “I was so happy for you when you started your apprenticeship. But I was even happier when you started telling me about how you felt like you belonged somewhere. I remember how each letter you sent would get progressively more descriptive, with little doodles in the margins and sometimes right in the middle of the page to illustrate your point. I kept some of those, ern- somewhere. I think they might still be in my school trunk in my parent’s attic or maybe my old room,” he shrugged, grin vibrating golden yellow. 

“You kept my letters?”

James laughed as though the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. Teddy blushed down to his toes.

“Don’t be so modest! You’re really good, Teddy. I know you know that, you don’t need me to tell you. Bloody hell, people like Robert Green and Jason - bloody - Fischer seek you out to create pieces for them! That’s proof enough. I know you would never boast about it, but you have to know this. In case you needed to hear it again though, Teddy, you're a really bloody good artist.” 

A dull roar filled Teddy’s ears and his insides felt like they were alight. It was like James had cast a spell that voiced everything he’d ever wanted to hear from Victoire and the litany of other past failed relationships, all because no one could ever seem to understand how important his art was to him. Teddy was aware of his talent - he would have never made it three years studying under Ruby if he didn’t possess some skill - but he’d never been one to market himself, preferring to let the art speak for him. Besides what would he say if he did? Come have your art done by the pansexual Metamorphmagus son of two war heroes who died before he was even old enough to hold a pencil - or even know what a pencil was! No, that would never do, and it sounded ridiculous even to Teddy’s ears. But here James was imploring him that his skills were valued, that he mattered, and it had nothing to do with what he looked like or the legacy he descended from. “That's what I see when I look at you, Teddy.”

Maybe it was the high from the comments or maybe it was the way the moonlight streaked through the window and hit James Potter’s face just so, but whatever the case Teddy found himself falling forward into James’ arms and kissing him.

Everything went silent. For a moment there was black. Then everything went teal as James kissed him back.

Seconds felt like minutes as time seemed to slow down. And then, as suddenly as it started, it was over. But James didn’t push him away. Instead he held Teddy close and tossed back his hair as Teddy, with lips still tingling, rested his head on James' chest. 

Neither of them seemed to know what to say for a moment. Teddy listened to the rise and fall of James’ chest and fought the urge to run away, to take back his stupid mistake.

Except, it didn’t feel like a stupid mistake. And, more importantly, James hadn't run. 

“Well, I didn’t expect that but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it,” James looked down at Teddy with a grin, running his fingers through Teddy’s hair again. “Was tonight a date then?”

Teddy couldn’t help but laugh in response. “No, that was totally unplanned.” He tried to sit up but James pulled him back down.

“Naw-ah, I have been wanting to kiss you for ages now. You don’t get to do it first and then run away.”

“Ages?” Teddy breathed.

James nodded, “Years.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“Well, take it moment by moment, I suppose,” James pulled Teddy closer, “I would like to kiss you again, if that’s okay?”

Teddy laughed, “Such a gentleman.”

“When I want to be,” James boasted, “one has to have some decorum when they’re the Wizarding World’s Most Eligible Bachelor.” 

Teddy couldn’t help but think he sounded a bit like Al there, but he laughed softly anyway, “I think that can be arranged.”

James smiled and suddenly Teddy found himself snogging James for a second time. His head was blissfully silent as he was totally engulfed in James’ presence, the feeling of James’ body beneath his, how safe and secure Teddy felt wrapped up in his arms. He melted into the embrace and, for a moment, forgot about everything except the man right here with him. This man who had proven to Teddy that he was worth it time and time again with zero expectation of anything in return. Teddy was only beginning to realize the depth of what he owed James and, if James would have him, he vowed to repay him anyway he could.

James pulled back from the kiss, holding Teddy’s face, finger running over his lips, adoration in his eyes. It was not an expression Teddy had seen on him before, almost rose gold in color, and he quite liked it there, directed at him, in the light of his living room.

“Come to bed?” he asked, and James nodded, a slight hint of trepidation in his eyes.

“No, not for that!” Teddy said, quickly amending himself, “well, not that I don’t want to, but I certainly don’t want to rush things either. But this moment - I don’t want to ruin it by leaving you to sleep on the couch when we could be so much more comfortable together.”

James’ eyes shone like all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once. “Teddy, if only you knew how long, how much-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Teddy interrupted, “I think I am getting an idea.”

James smiled and Teddy wondered how he ever lived without it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teddy and James are just too adorable - I love writing them <3
> 
> For more Jeddy goodness join me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/
> 
> Comments and Kudos are life and I love you guys when you leave them! Thank you amazing readers - you make my life.


	7. Yellow Brick Road

**Chapter 7 - Yellow Brick Road**

Teddy woke up Friday morning with his legs tangled with James’. They had been sharing Teddy’s bed since Tuesday night and it was becoming harder to remember what it was like before waking up next to James. They still hadn't shagged, but the constant snogging, cuddling and the blow job Teddy had given James in the back of his studio on Wednesday night more than made up for it. Teddy could still remember James’ surprise, the soft moans, the wonderful taste of the cock in his mouth, the way James’ eyes turned deep green when he came, pulsing hot cum into Teddy's mouth and causing him to spill over the edge himself. As relationships went, Teddy couldn’t recall a time when it was ever all going so well.

There had been minimal discussion since Tuesday about this thing that was growing between them. Not that they had had a ton of time. Wednesday, Teddy had had seven client intake interviews; he planned to move ahead with four of them. He’d also heard back from the desk of Jason Fischer asking him if they could set up a time to meet when the wizard was next due to portkey to New York. The response had come late Wednesday. Soon after, James had Apparated into the studio, declaring that he’d thought of Teddy all day and couldn’t wait to see him. The combination of seeing James and sharing the good news about Jason Fischer had resulted in the aforementioned blowjob, which was dessert before dinner as far as Teddy was concerned. 

Afterwards, James had given him an almost shy smile, “Teddy? Not that I'm complaining, mind...” 

Teddy had laughed, feeling all of fifteen-years-old again, “I’m not a prude or a nun. If I want to suck you off in my studio, I bloody well will!” James had laughed and told Teddy that he would need to return the favor then, a promise Teddy had every intention of making him keep. Thursday had found James buried in his work, coming back to Teddy’s well after midnight, where he collapsed on the bed and promptly fell asleep. Teddy had pulled the blankets over them both before pulling James into his arms, breathing in his scent before passing out himself.

Now that it was morning, he found he did not want to get up but his full bladder had other ideas. In an attempt to let James sleep, Teddy untangled himself as smoothly as he could then padded over to the loo. 

In the early days of their friendship, Troy had teased him for still calling it ‘the loo.’ Teddy knew people in the states called it the bathroom or restroom, but it was one habit he just could not kick. It was now a running joke between them so the term stuck around. After relieving himself he walked back to his bedroom where he heard a softly spoken, “Teddy?”

“Yeah it’s me, go back to sleep,” the words were said fondly as he climbed back into bed and placed a kiss on James’ cheek.

They may not have talked yet about what was going on between them, but Teddy suspected they would soon: James had never been one to avoid the big topics, and Teddy didn’t like leaving loose threads. But the more time that went by, Teddy became more and more certain that he didn’t know what he would do if James decided to simply be done with him. He banished the ugly thought out of his mind.

“So- ugh, can’t,” James murmured. “Work-”

“No, sleep now,” Teddy insisted, “you worked late last night.”

“Yeah, found a lead,” James tried to smile but it appeared a bit forced, “had to follow it. But required staying out late-“

“Ah- it’s s’okay,” Teddy said, words blending together as he pulled James close. They both fell back asleep. 

Teddy stood over a cliff. Soft blues and purples filled the skyline while a soft yellow glow blazed over head from the sun. Down below, Lily Potter called out to him. Only she was too far away and he couldn’t make out her words. “Lily?” He tried calling out to her but it was no use. She instead started motioning for him to join her but Teddy stubbornly refused to jump. Instead he turned to see James standing on his left, steady and strong as if he’d always been there, palm open and up as though Teddy was meant to grab it. Teddy contemplated this a moment while James laughed and motioned to him. “Come on, Teddy,” he beckoned with a sincere grin, and Teddy felt his hand move of its own accord towards James’, whose fingers closed around his own as the world around them disappeared. Then they were falling. As Teddy screamed, strong arms wrapped around him in the darkness. “It’ll be okay.”

Teddy awoke with a jolt. It wasn’t often that he dreamed but when he did, his dreams were usually in full color. The darkness at the end had been startling and nightmarish. Breathing heavily, Teddy brought the room around him into focus. He had just realized he was the only one in bed when James’ voice called out from the doorframe, “Good morning, sunshine!” 

Teddy drank in the sight of James in his doorway. He leaned against the frame with his signature smile that radiated golden yellow. His skin was like butterscotch, his eyes a deep green, and his hair thick and dark, sticking up in multiple places which gave him an even more youthful look. He was shirtless, preferring to sleep in joggers or boxers only, unlike Teddy who preferred a T-shirt and boxers. He was holding one mug and another was levitating beside him through a bit of wandless magic. Teddy tried to imprint the moment in his mind so he could sketch it later.

Sitting up and running his hand through his hair, he reached out towards James, “Please tell me that you brought me tea.”

“Oh, even better,” James said with a secret smile, moving across the room to sit on the bed next to Teddy. He effortlessly levitated the floating mug into Teddy’s hands. “That’s hot chocolate.”

Teddy took a deep sip, feeling the warmth of the liquid spread throughout his body. Secretly he liked the fact that James made himself so at home here. “You know, a man could get used to this,” he teased. 

“That’s my plan,” James said, looking Teddy dead in the eyes, “I bring you hot chocolate and I drink my coffee and together we plot world domination.”

“I think world domination is a bit much for my Friday off, don’t you think?” Teddy laughed.

“Maybe, but I think between the two of us we could manage.”

“Don’t you have to go into work?”

“I messaged them when I got up - it will be fine. No interviews or appointments today anyway and I got a big chunk of good information last night.” James transferred his coffee cup from his right hand to his left, taking the opportunity to fling himself onto the bed and drape his arm over Teddy.

“How long have you been up?” 

“Oh, twenty minutes or so? You looked so peaceful sleeping there I didn’t want to wake you"—Teddy could see a hint of a blush on James' cheeks—"Well really you looked sexy but I’m not going to take advantage of you while you were dead asleep. I didn’t want to wake you anyway…”

“For future reference, waking me up with kisses is allowed,” Teddy supplied, feeling his own cheeks warm. “And more if this continues how I’d like it to,” he confessed under his breath before taking a deep sip of his drink, feeling the chocolate coat his throat and hoping that the distraction would curb the embarrassment he suddenly felt.

“Teddy,” James' voice and eyes took on a serious tone, its vibration a deep purple in Teddy's mind. James tilted his head as he floated his coffee cup over to rest on the nightstand.

“Show off much?” Teddy laughed.

James' gilded grin is all he got in response before they're snogging. It was warm and real and wonderful and all too brief before James pulled away. Cupping Teddy's face, James looked right into his eyes.

“Teddy,” James tried again, “Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?”

Teddy shook his head because he didn’t. Because they had never talked about it other than James’ confession the other day. Because, for all of James’ charisma and confidence, he'd never come to Teddy to talk about relationship troubles. It was always the other way around.

"Well, I have wanted you for-" James broke eye contact to stare at the floor. "For a long time now. This thing between us? The last thing I want to do is jeopardize it. On the contrary, I want more of it. More of you.” The sincerity on James’ face was so bright that it sent Teddy reeling. James sighed, “I never in a million years thought you’d actually let me get this far, you know? You’ve just always been so- so you. My experience is a weird combination of awkward teenage stuff and a ‘relationship’ with Violet Cromby at school that resulted in her threatening to tell the entire school I was gay. Could you imagine if the Prophet had gotten the news of that back then? Son of War Hero, Gay and Pining.” He smiled, but it held no frequency.

“But then I always thought it wouldn’t be so bad, if it was you, you know? It would be fuck the Prophet and WizNet and the stupid reporters who would want the story, because I would have the best person by my side.”

“And that’s me?”

James laughed, “Don’t look so surprised. I realized I had a massive crush on you at thirteen or so, but I liked you long before then. Never thought you’d go for me though.” He pressed a quick kiss to Teddy’s lips before pulling away, falling back onto the pillows behind him. 

Teddy set down his mug and turned onto his side to face James. “So, all this time, you’ve been pining? Over me?”

“Now he gets it!” 

“Prat!”

“Who, me?” James gave his best innocent face.

“Yes, you! I don’t see anyone else throwing my world off center by working their way into my heart.”

“Into your heart, into your bed, into your life if you’ll have me,” James quietly offered.

“What, not into me?” Teddy laughed, even though his insides felt like mush.

“Actually I was kind of hoping"—James' cheeks turned a deep red—"that it would be the other way around."

Turning James over, Teddy spooned up against his back, leaned close and whispered into his ear, “I think that can be arranged,” before taking the opportunity to lick his ear.

“Oo, I quite like the sound of that,” James sighed into the embrace. “Does that mean you’ll keep me?”

Teddy was vaguely aware he should be thinking about what his Gran will say. What Harry and Ginny and Lily and Albus and the whole lot of the Weasleys will think. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. Besides, he’d dated a Weasley before, and really, how was that any different from dating a Potter? 

But he knew he was kidding himself because it was different. This was James. James, who always watched him, who never judged, who didn’t ask him to sacrifice his art for a relationship, who understood that being an artist wasn’t something Teddy could just turn off. James, who Teddy was falling in love with.

And so, without a second thought, Teddy held on tighter, pulling James impossibly close, and whispered, “For as long as you’ll have me.”

* * *

Being together with someone he deeply cared about was incredibly hot, Teddy thought. It was like golden fireworks, bright turquoise confetti and deep red roses with long green stems all rolled into one. He and James had spent the rest of Friday morning getting to know each other's bodies - James exploring him, sucking him off, long and slow, and fondling his balls all while looking up at him, eyes so full of adoration, lust, and something much deeper that made Teddy want to come on sight. James’ tongue had whirled around his cock as his head bobbed up and down, his warm mouth enveloping him and bringing him closer and closer to the edge before Teddy had exploded. Once James had swallowed every last drop, they had taken a shower together where Teddy had returned the favor; James looking so incredible as light glistened off the water on his chest, his hair in strands around his face as he looked down at Teddy, almost as if he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. 

James’ second load had tasted as good as his first.

Together they had cleaned up, gotten dressed, and kissed goodbye as James flooed to WizWork and Teddy Apparated to his studio to work on several personal projects. At least that had been the intent, however, Teddy found himself distracted by the image of James in his head: how the green of those eyes intensified as he’d cum, how those hands had felt in his hair, how sweet he’d tasted. It was all very unproductive and Teddy caught himself absentmindedly sketching James over and over in an attempt to recreate what he saw in his mind. 

Later that night the two of them ventured out into No-Maj New York, where they sampled deli sandwiches piled high with filling sandwiched between rye bread: corned beef for James and turkey for Teddy. In between bites, James relayed more particulars of his current project.

“So, yesterday, I ran into Madison Graves - FINALLY! - and she asked me if I’m going to the ILV Dinner Gala that night, the so-called ‘event of the year’, until the next one I suppose, supported by everyone from the MACUSA to WizNet to raise money for the school. And of course I wasn’t going, but this was my chance to talk to her, so I made some calls. Sometimes the whole ‘Potter-is-my-last-name’ thing is good for something, even in the states. So I buy my way in, a small donation on behalf of myself and the Quibbler, and I go buy some new dress robes, because Merlin knows I didn’t bring any, and I feel sufficiently underdressed anyway because, well, see?” 

Teddy looked over James’ shoulder as he opened his PenSave app. PenSave Industries, “Making memories more mobile ®” proclaimed the bold white text on the loading screen, before opening to reveal the endless scroll of posted memories from various accounts. James navigated directly to his posts and pulled up his most recent memory. A woman wearing bright red dress robes around her shoulders embroidered with golden scrolls and silver flora that seemed to move on their own accord when she walked and with a long train flowing behind. Beneath them she’d donned a skin-tight, sheer mesh, silvery dress upon which she, or someone, had enchanted fluttering white butterflies that flew up and down in very strategic areas to show off her slim curves. Her bright violet eyes sparkled as she turned her head, long golden blonde hair tumbling down her back in waves. Balanced on her right arm sat a small black cat, clutched in her elegant french manicured nails in much the same manner No-Maj would hold a small dog. She smiled before turning her attention to the man behind her, who also had bright golden hair and was dressed in smart dark blue dress robes. Together they moved down the red carpet, which was enchanted to light up under their feet as they walked.

”So we get there,” James continued, pocketing his phone, "and I make sure I am seated next to Ms. Madison, and turns out she wants to ask me more questions about my Quidditch days so I can’t get a word in edgewise!” James sighed, “I did manage to get some good information out of her at the end of the night though. A clue towards my next lead, which might involve a bit of a stake-out. I knew I should have asked Lily to lend me dad’s old invisibility cloak before I came here. I could send her an owl-” 

“Just don’t get yourself arrested, please? I’m not ready to break you out if the MACUSA gets you,” Teddy warned weakly. He had never been privileged to try the invisibility cloak himself but he knew some of the infamous stories: most notably, the summer after James' third year, when he and Freddie had used the cloak to convince Lily that her room was haunted. That had prompted Lily to host a seance on the Solstice - an event which ended up stirring up real spirits and bringing unwanted guests into their house. The poltergeist she unwittingly summoned had levitated James’ broom outside his bedroom window where he foolishly jumped after it, resulting in a broken arm and a confession. Lily, who was not yet old enough for Hogwarts and didn't even know about the infamous invisibility cloak, was delighted when James and Freddie found themselves in a whole heap of trouble. Albus had protested that he’d refused to join in on the prank and feigned innocence on the particulars. In the end, it was only James and Freddie who were sentenced to de-gnome their grandmother’s garden and cleaning the gutters without magic. 

When Freddie retells this story now, he laughs even harder at Lily’s gullibility. When James retells it, he thinks about how guilty he was that he pushed his little sister to summon a spirit before she could cast her first spell. When Harry and Ginny told this story to Andromeda, they shook their heads in the way that only parents could at the ridiculousness of it all. When Andromeda told this story to Teddy, she had concluded with “thank Merlin you were such a quiet child. All that drawing served a purpose in the end.” When Teddy thinks on that story, he’s reminded that at least Gran had approved of his talents in that particular moment.

“Oh, you totally would! But you won’t have to anyway. I won’t be breaking and entering or anything like that, even if I had the cloak. I am working on a story, not my Record of Arrests and Prosecutions,” James laughed and continued slightly smugly as he called Teddy’s bluff. “Besides, I’m getting closer to the truth. President Quahog, or any political party member for that matter, won’t really be able to stop me. Remember Teddy - my family is practically political royalty.”

“Yeah, in _England_. For your dad’s accomplishments,” Teddy frowned. “Just- be careful. Please?” He took James’ hand and held it, just for a moment. 

James nodded, “I always am.”

“Good. So when do I get to see you in dress robes?” Teddy grinned as James groaned.

“Ugh, I want to burn them, not give a fashion show. Plus, I have it on good authority that I look better naked anyhow.”

“If they’re that bad maybe I’ll just have to rip them right off of you.”

James blushed through his mischievous grin, “I would like that more than wearing them.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” Teddy smirked over the remains of his sandwich. “And what about after that? Tell me, Mr. Potter. What are your intentions for one Mr. Lupin?"

“Other than a long, happy life together and having him not refer to himself in third person?”

“Touche, Mr. Potter, and here I thought you were planning on having your wicked way with me and then head back to England, all in less than two weeks.”

Despite Teddy’s playful tone, James looked saddened at the thought. Teddy immediately began damage control, “James. Jamie. You know I’m kidding, right?” He reached over and brushed his hand through James’ hair. His own hair, which had been turquoise since at least Friday morning, unconsciously grew an inch as if to offer some level of privacy. He fought the urge to morph it back shorter.

“Are you?”

Teddy looked into James’ eyes and didn’t even have to think about it, “James, it’s a reality you don’t live here"—James shot him a look, but Teddy held up his hand—"Let me finish. But we’re wizards and wild Hippogriffs couldn’t keep me away if this is what you want. If I am good enough.”

The mood felt serious, purple, somber, and important, but somehow James was wearing his large golden grin that Teddy could feel down to his core. “I am more worried about if I’m good enough for you, so let’s both agree that we’re good enough for each other? I have faith that these things always work out in the end.”

“Well, at least one of us does,” Teddy laughed.

“One of us has to. Fairytale ending, you know? We’re owed.”

Teddy spared a brief moment to think what his parents would think of all this and decided they would probably approve: he imagined his mom would adore James’ optimism and his dad would be happy that they could rely on each other. For a brief moment, he could see it all in his mind, a portrait of his parents standing behind him, smiling their approval. Then the scene changed to a portrait of just James and Teddy felt a deep appreciation for this wizard who could somehow look at him and see all his quirks as positives.

“...chocolate?”

Teddy snapped back into the present, “I’m sorry?”

“You were a million miles away there for a second, trust the mention of chocolate to bring you back. Everything alright?” James looked concerned.

“Yeah, was just thinking of my parents.”

“Think they would have liked me?”

“I think that they would have loved you.”

“Brilliant! I am quite lovable after all,” James' grin took up his entire face. “Now, as I was saying, how about some New York Cheesecake - the one with chocolate?”

“It won’t be as sweet you are,” Teddy flirted.

“We’ll see about that,” James said as he waved their server over. Teddy leaned back, thinking James was quite lovable indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my own head-canon, Teddy stocked up on all the chocolate in NYC for the quarantine.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are giving me *life* in isolation :D
> 
> Join me on tumblr for more: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	8. Bottle of Red

**Chapter 8 - Bottle of Red**

Later that night, they curled up in bed while James helped Teddy set up his new MajGram account: @ELupinStudios. 

“Why not TLupinStudios?” James asked, curling up against his side. Teddy decided he quite liked him there.

“I sign all my portraits ELupin, and my site uses ELupin-”

“But why did you decide to go with E and not T in the first place?” James interrupted, brimming with curiosity.

Teddy laughed, “You always did manage to get to the heart of it, huh?”

“A good reporter always gets their story,” James said. “Now, spill.”

"It just has to do with how it feels to sign a piece," Teddy explained. “The flourishing movement that goes into making the 'E' as opposed to the harsh lines of the 'T' - just felt right, so I never questioned it. And besides, my parents named me Edward, right? Why shouldn’t I use it on the things that will hopefully outlive me?” he concluded. James responded with a quick snog before helping Teddy link his newly created account to his WizNet site and business information. 

The technical legwork completed, James posted up Teddy’s Shrieking Shack piece first - all the while tutoring Teddy on the ins and outs of the platform and explaining how to better use hashtags for his business. “Of course, I’m no expert or consultant in the field, but I do have a few followers from my Quidditch days,” he said with a small wink. Teddy laughed at that until James shared that a few actually meant over sixty thousand followers, which left him feeling rather intimidated. With @ELupin’s first official post now shared with the world, James spent the remainder of the night suggesting who he could follow to drum up more interest for the new account.

“Of course there’s me,” he’d said, “and Al and Lily. And I think Dad has a PR account now. I know his Auror department runs one too. You can add all of them. And Hermione’s Ministry campaign account, of course, and Rose and Hugo, you’ll definitely want to follow them. Freddie is forever posting funny stuff on his. Besides the family, you should definitely follow any of the artists you like. Oh! Even Grandma has one for her knitting now - alright I know that’s family again, but it’s what I can think of, okay?”

“Molly has one?”

James nodded, enthused, “I keep telling Grandpa he should get one for his Muggle artifact collection. Oh, that reminds me, you can follow Keith Haring. I know his estate runs his account, but they still post up his stuff. And there are other artists, of course, and tons of inspirational accounts to get ideas from. I personally like this one by this witch who creates new and simple spells for mundane tasks. And you could also follow Quidditch players or teams you like if you wanted...“

And on it continued until James drifted off, phone in hand, and Teddy was knackered enough to follow suit. 

In the morning, Teddy woke up to find that he had a grand total of four new followers on his page and that sometime during the night James had embedded himself under Teddy’s chin while he slept. Groaning, Teddy rolled over, gently untangling himself from James. The room was cold as he got dressed and morphed his hair back to strawberry blond. Brushing it down, he wished for the first time in years that he didn’t have to go into the studio. The thought shocked Teddy slightly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. After pouring himself a cuppa, he gently shook James’ shoulder and let him know he was going to head to the studio before leaning down to kiss him goodbye. James mumbled something about stopping by later once he was up.

It wasn’t until he’d Apparated to the studio that he realized he had forgotten to mention to James that the Roche family double booked his morning appointments today for their first session. 

He hoped it wouldn’t matter.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Roches weren’t due to arrive until 10:30, Teddy posted an ad on WizNet for an assistant, figuring he should bring someone in before Jason Fischer’s visit. With James’ help, Teddy had drafted it up the night before. It read:

**Part-Time Coordinator/Media Strategist needed for Artist Studio in Wizarding Brooklyn**

Seeking qualified media strategist to join our studio.

  * Requirements include developing and implementing a comprehensive social media strategy to increase studio awareness. 
  * Candidate’s skill set should be able to handle the creation of studio presence for all WizNet channels, accounts, and platforms in a cohesive way. 
  * All applicants should have previous media promotional experience, familiarity with metrics/data/analytics, and strong written and verbal communication skills.



Send Resume/CVs with Cover Letter to [ ELupinStudios_Application@owlmail.net ](mailto:ELupinStudios_Application@wiznet.net)

ELupin Studios provides equal employment opportunities to all wizard and witches for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, genetics, protected creature status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by wizarding laws.

He debated adding a line such as ‘applicants must have an appreciation for art,’ but thought better of it. He could figure all that out during the interview process, feeling confident that it wouldn't be too different from his initial consultation meetings. He’d always thought it would be years before he needed an assistant - even more before he took on an apprentice of his own - but the timeline seemed to have accelerated right under his nose. 

Teddy looked at the clock on his computer screen which read 10:24am, right hand absentmindedly running down the cover of his newly gifted sketchbook and feeling the texture of the leather under his fingertips. He hadn’t put a single drawing in it yet but he was carrying it around should inspiration strike, more often than not pulling it out just to look at it before simply setting it beside his computer while he worked. Teddy reached for his wand on the desk, thinking for the millionth time how the leatherwork was quite remarkable, when his front door flung open.

“-I swear!” a tall man with dark hair exclaimed as he stepped into Teddy’s front room, holding the door open. Behind him a tall, thin girl with long, brown locks and intense grey eyes followed, her features rang with a unique ferocity. Behind her, Teddy recognized Stephanie Roche, her pink lips pulled into a tight smile as she swept past her daughter and husband towards him.

“Ah, Mrs. Roche,” he said, standing to greet her. “Welcome back. I have you marked for your first session today, yes?”

“Yes! And please, Mr. Lupin, it’s Stephanie. We are so grateful you could see us on a Saturday - had to pull Marie out of school and all. Least she’s not missing any classes, are you Marie dear? Oh, and yes, how rude of me." She gestured behind her. "This is my husband, Steven"—the man nodded—"and my beautiful daughter, Marie."Stephanie beckoned her daughter forward. Marie moved up slowly as if walking on thin ice, her eyes scanning the room in a frantic attempt to look anywhere but her parents.

“Wonderful to meet you both,” Teddy said, holding out a hand to Steven, who shook it firmly. Turning to Marie, he offered her a smile and a friendly nod. In response, she nodded her head and folded her arms across her chest. 

“Well, there’s no need to stand on the ceremony,” Steven offered in a considerably more jolly tone than the one he'd walked through the door with. “What are next steps here, Mr. Lupin?”

Steven must be some kind of business-wizard or lawyer, Teddy thought, with his sharp robes and no-nonsense mannerism. 

“Please, call me Teddy,” he offered before turning back to Stephanie. “I don’t often lead with this, but many of my clients pay on my site beforehand and I noticed you had outstanding fees remaining. Have you decided how you would like to manage payments? We can discuss it further if need be.”

Stephanie shook her head as she rummaged through her purse, pulling out an envelope and handing it over to Teddy. “You’ll find the entire payment, in full, in there,” she said as he tore open the seal, pulling out the Goblin’s check covering the full amount for all three sessions. Satisfied Teddy pocketed the contents.

“Excellent, let’s get started then, shall we?” he said, guiding the three of them to the portrait sitting area of his studio. Tall bookshelves ran from floor to ceiling on the left side holding various pigment containers, paint brushes, and other art supplies, all organized by color. On the right wall hung samples of his work. Transfiguring a bench into a large sofa into the middle of the room, he told the family to make themselves comfortable. 

While they situated themselves, Teddy set up his own supplies on his work table and summoned his primary chest of raw pigment vials from the shelves. He had additional organizers that contained his rarer pigment powders, but he found that the majority of his clients could be satisfied with his normal assortment. 

Mixing pigments for portraits was rather like the art of potion making meets the versatility of charms. The raw pigments were all derived from natural minerals and organic materials as, unlike their Muggle counterparts, wizards could not use synthetic pigments if they wanted their pieces to be able to move and interact. Unlatching the top of the chest, Teddy lifted the sides as small drawers and levels sprang forth, revealing hundreds of pigment options. He picked up a vial of grey powder and turned to face the family, who were oddly quiet.

Teddy was no stranger to quiet families. Despite spending a lot of time with the Potter-Weasley horde, his childhood consisted mainly of quiet moments spent with his Gran. But this silence was different - it held a tension that Teddy couldn’t quite put his finger on. After sparing one final glance down to the vial in his hand, he inspected the girl on the couch. Her eyes sang with the same intense frequency as when she had first walked through the door. Currently, she was inching as far away from her mother as possible on the couch. 

“Marie,” he called out to her, “what’s your favorite color?”

She looked up at Teddy, a little startled that he’d addressed her directly. “I don’t care,” she mumbled before looking directly down at her feet. 

“Now Marie,” Steven said from the other side of the couch, “there’s no need to be rude.” He turned to address Teddy. “It’s orange,” he said definitively.

Marie’s face snapped up in her father’s direction, a look of sadness in her eyes. “Shows what you know,” her voice tight. “It’s actually yellow,” she admitted, turning towards Teddy.

“Orange. Yellow. What’s the difference?” Steven grumbled, crossing his arms in a move that looked suspiciously like Marie’s earlier motions. Teddy could see where she’d inherited those mannerisms from. 

“What shade of yellow? Buttercup, sunshine yellow, neon yellow, or something else?” he asked, more as a miffed response to Steven’s dismissive question about color differences than an actual interest in her answer.

“Golden yellow.”

Teddy paused, surprised, before looking up at her. “Well, we have something in common there, Miss Roche,” he said before turning back to his case and finding the exact shade of yellow pigment he wanted. Holding up the vial to her and saw the beginnings of a smile on her face.

Satisfied, he pulled several more vials to match her hair, skin tone and makeup. Her coloring was very similar to that of her mother’s, so he could pull many of the same pigment vials for them both. Steven, on the other hand, was a bit paler in complexion with darker hair and eyes. Teddy started pulling pigment vials for him as well.

Teddy lost himself in the colors as the Roche trio sat expectantly on the couch. It was Stephanie who finally broke the silence, “Teddy, I was hoping for the opportunity to thank your friend James Potter again for his generosity the other day. Marie here was so thrilled with the video he made her, weren’t you, honey? Posted it right up on WizNet, right sweetheart? He was just so sweet to take the time-”

“Enough, Steph,” Steven cut in, the harsh tone from when he first entered Teddy’s studio back in his voice. “The poor man is a celebrity enough, we don’t need to be bothering him any more than we already have-”

Teddy felt a flicker of kinship towards the man.

“But dad!” Marie exclaimed, “it was the best thing to ever happen in my life! Of course it had to be _mom_ who got to meet him. But he said my _name!_ All my friends were so jealous. It was so great!”

Only teenagers have the capability to whine like that, Teddy thought.

“Honey, plenty of good things have happened in your life. You’re graduating top of your class, going to Beauxbatons in the fall-”

“But that’s all expected. James Potter saying _my name_ on video wasn’t. He’s like my _idol,”_ Marie gushed.

Teddy fought the urge to react to James Potter’s idol status. James wouldn't want him to make a big deal of it. James might find it over the top, but he would still probably smile graciously and give Marie a hug - he definitely knew how to interact with his fans. Teddy wondered if he should feel a little bit jealous, but he couldn’t muster up the energy. Steven coughed, Stephanie laughed, and Teddy debated telling Marie that James might come by the studio later. But then he thought better of it and decided to keep his mouth shut. 

“Mom, you just don’t understand!” Marie was full on whining now. “I tell all my friends and teammates that you met _the_ James Potter. I’m so glad you got that video because otherwise no one would even believe that _my_ mom met the Wonder Boy of Wynwood! It got me so many new followers on MajGram - I’m practically an influencer now. Even Madison Graves started following me! _Madison. Graves. Mom._ Do you even know what that means? Did you even see that she posted the other day when she was with James at the ILV Gala? You remember that dinner _we_ were supposed to be at? Merlin knows you and dad donated more than enough! But then you cancelled last minute, and instead you go and pull me out of school on a Saturday, not even a day with classes - I’m missing Quidditch practice! - for all this portrait business. And I’m going along with it because it’s where you tell me you met James, and it’s all _so_ embarrassing you got to meet him and I didn’t! It’s my final year, mom, and I’m about to go overseas. I want to spend every minute with my friends that I can and instead-” Marie’s voice, which had gradually been increasing in volume, abruptly cut off here and she stared at the concrete floor like she only just realized where she was and what she was saying. She took in a mangled breath and turned red with embarrassment.

Laying out all his pigment choices in a line, Teddy wondered what it must feel like to be embarrassed of your parents. He would never know the feeling and he was surprised to find it brought up an emptiness inside him he wasn’t wholly comfortable with. Vowing not to deal with that thought right now, he busied himself by walking over to collect his jar of base paint which he didn’t like to summon because his magic always tended to have weird effects on its water content. It was a mixture he had developed years ago, a delicate ratio of binder to solvent. He had multiple bases to select from, ranging from high gloss to flat matte, but the majority of his clients received a basic, balanced recipe of water solvent and natural oils. 

Returning to his work station, jar in his left hand, he pulled out his wand to Accio a large rectangular palette from the ones he had stacked up on his shelves. Cracking open the jar, Teddy began mixing pigments. He was always slightly mesmerized by the process, the different thrum of each hue playing in his mind before he added in the necessary spells.

The Roche family sat in quiet contempt through this process, as if Marie’s outburst had robbed them of the ability to speak. It was Teddy who eventually broke the silence.

“I am going to mix enough paint for both portraits and preserve it all for our next session,” he explained to the family. “I will need to charm each individual color to match with your magical signature. After I key each of your individual colors, I will charm the background paints to match all three of you - complete with some extra yellow paint for the portrait Marie will be taking with her to France.” He shot Marie what he hoped was a friendly smile. “Do you want to come up here first?”

Marie looked at her parents who nodded and waved towards Teddy in a silent ‘go on then.’ Much more withdrawn than she had been previously, Marie slowly got to her feet and approached Teddy’s work table. Upon arrival, she rested her hands on the counter, pointer finger tapping nervously as her eyes wandered across the pigments. Teddy noticed her nails were painted a bright teal that closely matched the frequency of his preferred hair color. She looked up at him before quickly glancing back down. “Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright,” he told her earnestly.

“I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay.”

Marie nodded.

“I think,” said Teddy softly, holding out his wand, “that were my parents around when I was your age, I might have been embarrassed by them too. But I never got to know them. I think you’re pretty lucky.”

Marie’s grey eyes widened as she swallowed.

Teddy inwardly berated himself for a moment, the rare moment of honesty with a stranger feeling foreign. The thought crossed his mind that James might’ve been proud. Turning back to the paints, he picked up the vial that reminded him of James’ smile and held it out to Marie. “So, golden yellow, was it? Should we start with that one?”

Marie nodded again, but didn’t respond. Her finger went from tapping to a small sweeping motion. 

Teddy held out his wand and murmured the appropriate spell, watching as Marie’s magical essence flowed towards the golden yellow paint and acted as the activating agent for the pigment minerals that laid dormant within. He followed the sparkles with his eyes as they swirled together, the frequency of the color playing loudly in his head. He continued to harmonize the ratio of magic to pigment as one would fine-tune an instrument. Once satisfied, Teddy cast a preservation charm over it before moving on to the next color in the line up. 

The entire process took several minutes. Marie looked on with wide eyes, the intense grey color softening as the sparkles of magic infused into a color she particularly liked. Teddy had performed this process for many witches and wizards over the years and had seen numerous reactions ranging from the overly emotional to the stoic. Some wanted to chat or joke during the process, others remained silent in their observations, while others still asked questions - as this was a form of magic rarely taught or observed in the magical world. Marie’s silent reaction rather reminded Teddy of his own the first time he’d seen Ruby perform this particular task, following the transfer of energies with his eyes and marveling at the changes that were wrought in the paint when it was completed. 

“Would you like to try?” Ruby had asked him when she finished, wiping her hands on a rag. Teddy had nodded eagerly but inwardly felt a little out of his depth as she had explained that the caster’s magical essence played a part in the spell as well, the intent behind the incantation giving the paint its durability over time. It had been tricky and as Teddy had never been great with spellwork involving water, there was no telling how his magical signature would alter the final product. But it turned out that he needn't have worried as he took to the charm as easily as breathing, the spellwork flowing from his hands to his wand naturally without force. Ruby had praised him for it, Troy had been jealous. Teddy had felt like he finally found his life’s purpose. Never before had magic come so easily to him. 

Satisfied with his work, Teddy turned to face Marie once more. “I think you’re all set here,” he said, indicating towards the paints that were now freshly infused with her magical signature. 

“You even matched my nail polish,” Marie said softly in reply, a little bit of awe in her voice.

Teddy nodded.

“Did-” she swallowed before continuing. “I mean, it’s exactly the same color.”

“It appears, Miss Roche, that you and I have similar taste in favorite colors,” Teddy said with a soft smile. “It would be more of a disservice if I didn’t use them.”

“But- it’s so exact!”

Teddy nodded again.

“How did you do that?”

Teddy shrugged. Several years of taking clients had prepared him to field questions like this. Depending on the circumstances, there were times when he offered a lengthy explanation, while others received a short well-rehearsed and practiced boilerplate answer. In this case however, he decided on simply saying, “Magic,” with a hint of playfulness in his tone. 

Marie looked considerably happier as she sat back down on the couch, her mother rising to occupy the spot where she had been only moments before.

Stephanie had much the same coloring as her daughter, and it didn’t take long for Teddy to recreate many of the pigments he had already set, repeating the process of infusing her magical signature on them as he had done to her daughter’s. She too stood oddly silent throughout the process, a strange look on her face that Teddy could only describe as curiosity. 

Teddy took in her fashionable yet slightly eccentric robes as he mixed her paints. They were deep blue with a bright pink, green, and purple floral pattern outlining the edges. The fabric draped down her arms and flared out wide at the bottom, creating a bell sleeve that flowed down to cover the tops of her hands. Her outfit was free flowing yet graceful, felt both youthful and modern, and gave off an air of elegant effortlessness that only the extremely powerful or influential can carry. The same could be said of her magical signature. By contrast Marie’s magic had had more of a structured feeling to it. Teddy supposed he would soon discover if that was a trait she had inherited from her dad.

“Is there anything, or any color, you would like me to use specifically in your portrait, Stephanie?” He didn’t always ask clients for their input but in this case it felt called for. Especially since he didn't think he would get a favorite color out of Mr. Roche. He spared a glance over at him and his daughter on the couch who were now huddled close to each other in what looked like animated discussion, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

“No, I don’t think so. Well maybe, perhaps, if you have an idea for it, you could try to sneak in some lime green? I know, it’s garish to some, but I have an affinity for it. That and bright pink. I always liked bright colors. It would be nice to have them immortalized with me. On me? In the painting.” Stephanie was laughing and Teddy was certain she was covering up some other emotion. Her words, despite their upbeat delivery, held the frequency of shame.

Teddy offered her a smile as he got up to retrieve his high gloss base before pulling the needed pigments to create three additional colors: hot pink, bright yellow, and lime green. Mixing each with precision, he muttered the spell to infuse her magic, which flowed freely as he fine-tuned the ratio.

Happy with the results, Stephanie returned to the couch as her husband walked with purpose to the table. 

“That’s quite a bit of impressive magic there, Mr. Lupin.”

“Oh please, call me Teddy.”

“Well, Teddy, that magic is still impressive. If I may be so bold to ask, did you create it?”

Teddy fought the urge to laugh out loud. The charms were used by wizarding artists hundreds of years before Teddy had even been born and were certainly not his to lay claim to. But he did have something he could offer as a response. Looking up at Steven he said, “No, I can hardly lay claim to what many wizards before me have perfected. However, I do have a few spells of my own creation that allow me to use Photoshop to bring some of my works to life digitally. All are in experimental stages at this point but I’ve had moderate success.”

“Moderate success? If they are anything like we’ve witnessed here today you might be selling yourself short there, young man. You certainly have talent. I can see why my wife here was so taken with your work.”

Teddy felt oddly warm. To distract himself he turned to pull the paler skin-colored pigments he would need to paint Steven properly. The two undertones he pulled easily, balancing them between his fingers. He mused over which third pigment to pull, tapping his fingers back and forth between two different vials and fighting the urge to hum as he did so.

“Have you considered getting your spells registered and patented?” Steven asked, watching him curiously.

Teddy nearly dropped the vials he was holding. His head snapped up.

“I can see not. If they are decent, you should consider it.”

“Dad is a lawyer,” Marie’s voice carried over from the sofa. “He patented those Self-Inking Quills and Spell-checking Quills that everyone loves using at school.” 

Teddy thought back but couldn’t remember George ever mentioning getting a lawyer or having any of his inventions registered with the Ministry of Magic - let alone internationally. He made a mental note to ask James if he knew anything about it later.

Marie’s voice prattled on and he tuned back in, “Dad can protect anyone or anything. When I was seven, he helped Flyte and Barker when the Starsweeper XXIs wouldn’t fly right-”

“Marie,” Stephanie’s voice carried a warning tone.

“What mom? I’m just telling the story. It’s not like it didn’t make the papers anyway.” She looked down at her feet and didn’t elaborate further. 

Steven laughed and Teddy realized it was the first time he’d heard it. It sounded slightly harsh and bitter to his ears. 

“It’s okay Steph,” Steven dismissed before turning back to Teddy. “He probably has heard of it anyway. I’m the lawyer on retainer for Flyte and Barker you see, the lucrative little gig that it’s become. Set the last decade of my career it did when the company found themselves in a bit of trouble with a batch of defective Starsweeper XXIs. Once the US team debuted the model at the Quidditch World Cup, the manufacturer simply couldn’t keep up with demand - quality control, rogue hexes, and whatnot. People received defective brooms and sued for bodily injury, mental repercussions and the like. I helped the company to close the cases. Some off the record, you know? But that’s the world we live in these days. Everyone wants to sue in New York. If those No-Maj are doing it, it’s good enough for us wizards, I suppose. Luckily those nasty cases are only part of my job, and the compensation more than makes up for it. I think you understand,” Steven smiled but the shape didn’t quite fit his face.

Teddy closed his eyes a moment, leaning back in his chair. During the 2014 Quidditch World Cup when the Starsweeper XXI had debuted, sixteen year old Teddy, dating Victoire at the time, attended with the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan. The US team, sponsored by Flyte and Barker, were showcasing the new broom in a matchup against Liechtenstein. The Americans secured themselves a spot in the semi-final when their seeker, Darius Smackhammer, captured the Snitch in a breakneck stunt that sent him flying through two Bludgers - a move that very nearly resulted in a collision and had American fans roaring with excitement. 

Teddy had not watched the US’s Semi-Final game against Brazil - after camping with the Weasley-Potter horde for days he was over the crowds and noise and just wanted some time to himself. He had sought out a quiet place to sketch and lost track of time. It was hours later when Victoire found him, sketching away, that he’d learned the US had been up in points before the Snitch was caught - final score USA 310/BRAZIL 420. Her report complete she had then proceeded to berate Teddy for not joining the family in watching the game. He had ended up promising her that he would be at the Final. 

The World Cup Final was a battle between Bulgaria and Brazil. Ginny, as the Daily Prophet’s Quidditch Correspondent, commentated live. Teddy sat up in the coveted Box 2 along with the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan, but he couldn’t find it within himself to feel entirely happy about it. He liked Quidditch fine, and he enjoyed playing, but as he looked on with teenage angst at the entire scene in front of him, the warring colors, he had felt unhappily trapped. Wearing white - a non-color as far as he was concerned and not one that he wore often but on this occasion he felt it marked his feeling of indifference - Teddy had chosen to support neither team. Already miffed, Teddy found himself having to defend his outfit's absence of color on two separate fronts. 

The first was Teddy frantically trying to explain that he wasn’t the only one who had chosen not to support a team: Hermione had remained inexplicably neutral, even as Hugo, Rose and Ron all chose to support Brazil. Luckily he wasn't the only one having to defend his fashion choices. Al, the only Potter who sported Brazilian green, had spent the week chatting his Uncle Ron’s ear off - as well as anyone else who would listen - about how he was Brazilian Chaser Gonçalo Flores’ #1 fan. It was on his millionth iteration of this fact that James had slapped Al hard on his back, nearly shoving his brother over the ledge at the start of the game. Harry, who had been decked out in red to support Bulgaria like his other two children, had been furious with James, yanking Al back from the ledge and forcing James to apologize. James, for all his love of Quidditch, was oddly quiet for the rest of the game.

The second was Victoire’s irritation with Teddy that they were not both supporting a single team as a _couple,_ resulting in one of their many disagreements. Angered by Teddy’s lack of enthusiasm for the game, combined with the bitter argument they'd had not hours before about how Teddy never paid enough attention to her when compared to his ‘little art projects’, Victoire had spent the first half of the game having it out with him. Rather than being allowed to resolve things there and then, Bill had inserted himself between them as things escalated, rendering it impossible for their squabble to continue and leaving Teddy to stew in his frustration. 

When her dad finally removed himself, Victoire had sought Teddy out to finish their discussion. Teddy was so frustrated and anxious while trying to explain that she was number one in his life that he ended up accidentally bumping her in the face, which must not have hurt her much because she grinned and forgave him - insisting that she was looking for someone who would fight for her. Victoire had spent the rest of the night acting like nothing had happened, snogging Teddy into oblivion - the kiss was later commented on in the Prophet. A fact that James had brought up exactly once - “Breathing through your ears now, Teddy?” he had joked, quoting the Prophet’s ridiculous line following the match. Looking back now, Teddy could hear the hurt under his jest.

After the Cup, the entire Hogwarts student body had been enchanted by the new Starsweeper XXIs that were being manufactured in America. Teddy had known a few of his classmates who’d bought them, and even Harry had asked him if he wanted one for Christmas. Teddy had declined, resulting in Harry’s palpable relief when they discovered the brooms were being recalled. 

“Good thing we didn’t order the Starsweeper, huh Teddy? Heard they released some defective ones, and the company is issuing credit to those that purchased them. Shoddy American craftsmanship. Lucky break that, huh?” he could remember Harry saying over dinner one evening in between bites of Ginny’s famous mashed yams. 

Teddy didn’t mind so much, he had inherited his Godfather’s old Firebolt, which he kept in pristine condition and flew until he graduated. It wasn’t the best broom on the market by that point, certainly a classic, but it was reliable. Plus Harry had gotten it the year Teddy’s dad had been Harry’s professor. Teddy felt a special kinship with it - like flying it could somehow bring him closer to knowing his dad. 

After he graduated Teddy had returned it, polished and well loved yet still in surprisingly good condition. Harry had admired the longevity of the craftsmanship but was confused, asking Teddy if he wouldn’t like to keep it. Teddy hadn’t felt right about taking it when he didn’t think he’d fly ever again, so he’d declined. Last he saw it, the Firebolt had taken up purchase on the broomstick wall display in James’ childhood bedroom. 

“I think I did hear something about that incident,” Teddy said to Steven, striving to collect up his thoughts. “We didn’t have nearly the explosion of excitement about those brooms in London as you all did over here, but I remember my Godfather saying something about it,” Teddy decided it was best to keep quiet about his relationship to Harry in front of this family for now. Especially since they knew he was connected to James. 

“Yes well,” Steven said. “It all worked out in the end. And I am of the belief that everyone got their fair compensation out of it. Not that it mattered too much to me at the end of the day - as long as I wasn’t stiffed,” he quipped. Teddy could feel his distaste for the man click up a few notches. “Anyway, if you ever do decide you want to patent and register those spells, you know where to find me; my contact information is all over the forms my wife has filled out for this, isn’t it, dear?” he called over to her. Stephanie nodded from the couch.

“You see how she takes such good care of everything?” Steven beamed, and Teddy could hear the genuine warmth in the statement. It was the first time Steven had said something that hadn’t sounded cold and Teddy spared an idle thought as to the amount of genuine love in their marriage. Perhaps Marie’s outbursts earlier hadn’t been as unprovoked as he’d thought.

Teddy concentrated, calling on his magic to get through the last of the infusion spells. As he suspected, Steven’s magical essence had a bit more structure to it than that of his wife’s, but was still not quite as structured as Marie’s had been. It was on the spectrum somewhere between the two of them, revealing to Teddy that while they may not be getting along just now there was genuine compatibility and affection that could coexist between the three of them - buried beneath the years of Steven’s workaholic tendencies, Marie’s absence living at school and Stephanie’s loneliness. 

Perhaps the portrait would do them all some good, thought Teddy. After all one could not hide their true essence when committed to canvas. The family had some wounds to mend, but there was still love there buried somewhere. He could feel it. Teddy knew he wasn’t a family counselor and he couldn’t heal their fractures, but he did think he could paint over them, smoothing out the harsh lines to illustrate what he saw in his mind.

Casting the preservation spells on the last of his paints, Teddy turned to Steven. “We’re all set with the colors here,” he said. “If you want to inspect the total color palette, now’s the time.” He indicated for Marie and Stephanie to come back over to his work table. 

The range of what he’d created felt right to him, but he always liked his clients to give the colors one final inspection in case they had any notes. He never prompted them, but sometimes they would ask him to remove a color or two, add one that would hopefully complement the colors he already selected, or, in rarer moments, to start over, though he’d gotten better at screening those types of clients out before even beginning the process. He didn’t suspect he’d have any issue with the Roches - Steven seemed the most difficult to please and he didn’t have anything negative to say about Teddy or his paints specifically. Not yet anyhow. But Teddy didn’t think he’d have many comments if he couldn't even distinguish his daughter’s favorite color.

The family looked over his paints. Stephanie admired his craftsmanship, while wrapping her arm around her husband’s waist. Marie still looked impressed, and now that she was slightly more relaxed Teddy couldn’t help but notice how her features, which rang out with intensity, all seemed to align to produce one single note. It was a rare and fascinating find. Most people Teddy encountered had different shapes that radiated out the frequencies of different colors all combining together like a song. Marie, by contrast, was like one strong chord. She would be fun to paint.

“Marie. Your mom told me you’re going to Beauxbatons at the end of the year.”

She looked up from the paints to Teddy, nodding.

“And you speak French fluently?”

“Oui.”

Inexplicably Teddy suddenly felt it prudent to offer, “I know a few people who attended school there years ago. Far be it from me to offer, but if you want any advice on anything while you get settled in there, feel free to reach out.”

The beginnings of a smile crossed her face as Teddy heard the loud ‘crack’ of Apparition coming from his back room. Distracted the family turned to look behind them, as Teddy moved towards the sound. 

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I will be right back. Would anyone like anything to drink? I can get you water, tea, pumpkin juice, wine, or something else.”

“I’ll take some water,” Stephanie said with a smile. “I’m parched.”

“Water for you then,” Teddy nodded. “Anything else?”

“Wine would be lovely,” Steven said. “If it’s red, I’ll have a glass.”

“And for you, Marie?”

“I don’t suppose you have coffee? Or hot chocolate?”

Teddy shook his head. “Fresh out of coffee, I’m afraid, but hot chocolate I can do.”

“Perfect!” came her slightly overly enthusiastic reply.

“Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be back in a moment with drinks and final wrap up instructions.” Teddy strode out of the room as confidently as he could, silently thanking Merlin that James hadn’t Apparated directly into the middle of his session.

Turning the corner Teddy could feel when he walked through a silencing charm. Looking up he watched as James poured a glass of red wine. A bottle of water sat right beside it.

“Hey Teddy, I heard an order for water and red wine, so I thought I would get you started.” James’ golden yellow smile was magnetic and Teddy could feel his mood lift.

“Thank you,” Teddy said, hoping he’d conveyed the depth of his gratitude. “Now I just need to make the hot chocolate. You threw up a silencing charm?”

“I got it covered. If you want, you can go back and finish up with your clients,” James offered. “And I thought it might be useful.”

“It is. And I am so glad to see you,” Teddy whispered even though no one could hear them. “I almost don’t want to go back out there. That’s the Roche family come for their first sitting. You remember Stephanie from the day you got here?”

James laughed stiffly, “Kinda hard to forget that one, Ted-ster.”

“Right. Well, it’s completely up to you if you want to come say hi or not. I honestly think it would make Marie’s day, but I won’t subject you to the perils of fame again without your consent.” Looking up at James' face, Teddy saw some weird shadows cross his eyes.

“You know, I could just kiss you right now?”

“You could,” Teddy teased, “but I heard you were making hot cho-” He was cut off by James’ lips quickly finding his own. He fought the urge to let out a small moan and James pulled away, smile restored.

“I’ll make the hot chocolate,” he said with a laugh, “now take the water and wine and get back out there.” Teddy jumped as James lightly slapped his arse.

Returning to the sitting room, Teddy sat down on the couch. “Hot chocolate will be one more minute,” he told Marie before handing Stephanie her water and Steven his wine, who appraised it like a sommelier.

“Excellent choice,” he told Teddy, “Vintage?”

Teddy had no idea what year the wine was. He had selected the bottle how he selected all his wines - based on how much he liked the artwork on the label. But he did know one thing. “It’s a full-bodied Cabernet, one of my favorites,” he offered.

This seemed to appease Steven as he took another sip, his wife matching the action with her bottle of water. Before long two mugs of hot cocoa floated into the room, one coming to rest in front of Teddy. He wrapped his fingers around the hot cup, warmed by the thoughtfulness of James' gesture before he even took a sip. Glancing over at Marie, Teddy watched as she blew softly to cool the steaming cocoa.

“Now then,” Teddy squeezed his mug, “today we created the paints that will be used during your portrait sitting session. Normally clients book a minimum of 3 hour time blocks, but seeing how there are three of you, you will have to book multiple sessions. You can come alone Marie, if you’d like, but Stephanie and Steven since you’ll both be on the same canvas I would advise double booking a time that works for you both. As Stephanie and I discussed last time, all my open appointments are available on my site. The paints created today will be preserved for the next six months or so, but I do recommend getting in sooner rather than later.”

“What happens if we wait too long?” Marie’s voice held a student’s curiosity.

“Well, the longer paint sits, the more time the pigment has to separate from the base, and while preservation charms do delay the natural wear, there is only so much they can do,” Teddy explained.

“Oh.” 

“Everything will be kept in safekeeping until your next session,” Teddy reassured. “The paints now contain your magical signatures, which is integral to the portrait painting process-”

“I heard you were the best, Teddy, and this has certainly been an excellent beginning,” Stephanie cut in. “I am excited to see the final product.”

“In the meantime, Marie,” Teddy didn’t let the interruption stop him as he turned to address the girl. “Could you do me a favor? Can you send me some images of what you’d like your background to be inspired by? Rooms you like, places you’ve been, or hobbies you have. Something you’d like to see on your wall when your likeness is absent.”

She nodded.

“Excellent, the sooner I get some idea of your aesthetic the earlier I can get started on some ideas.” Teddy turned to her parents. “As for your portrait, I would like to discuss some background ideas now. Based on what Marie sends, I could match both in a similar style, but I am currently thinking of a more modern take on the Arts and Crafts movement for your portrait. It will be very much in line with your fashion sense, Stephanie, if you’ll allow me to take inspiration from the robes you are wearing today...”

Stephanie blushed, placing her free hand on her husband’s thigh. “I like that idea. Are you okay with it, Steve?”

“If it makes you happy,” Steven addressed her before turning back to Teddy, who noticed his wine glass was almost empty. “As I am sure you gathered Teddy, my two witches here know more about art and art styles than I. Of course I can recognize talent and craftsmanship. I like to think I could spot a masterpiece in rubble, but in so far as all this is concerned, I bow to your expertise.” Steven lifted the remainder of his wine in silent ‘cheers’ before downing it in one gulp. 

Teddy privately thought Steven Roche wouldn’t know the difference between a Pollock and a Rembrandt if it hit him square in the face, but he hid his reaction behind a deep sip of hot chocolate. He was used to people he loved dismissing his work as a ‘little hobby’ and he certainly didn’t need approval from a man who didn’t know or care about the difference between orange and yellow. 

“Well, if there are no more questions, I think we’re set for today,” Teddy said, rising to his feet. Stephanie was the first to follow suit, reaching out her hand towards Teddy. There was a small awkward moment before Teddy realized he was meant to shake it.

“Thank you again,” Stephanie said sincerely, gripping Teddy’s hand in hers. It felt warm and soft. 

Steven got to his feet as well, copying his wife’s actions, his handshake feeling stiff by comparison. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he produced a small silver case which he tapped with his wand causing a small, white card to levitate in front of Teddy’s face. Bold, black letters read ‘Steven Roche, Wizarding Lawyer’ in the center, followed by the name of his firm. Reaching out to take it, Teddy noticed the letters were raised off the card slightly. “I know you have my information already but if you decide to patent those spells of yours, contact me directly,” Steven said with a wink. “We will see you next session.”

Wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist, Steven turned to walk toward the front of Teddy’s studio. Teddy moved to follow them when he noticed Marie was still sitting on the couch.

“Can I help you with something else, Marie?”

Marie looked down at her feet, which she shuffled slowly back and forth against the concrete floor. “Um,” she mumbled, before deciding to peer back up at Teddy, “is it true, do you really know James Potter?”

Teddy resisted the urge to glance back toward his kitchenette. Instead he crouched down in front of Marie.

“ _Please_ don’t think it rude of me to ask! Mom told me not to bring it up, but she met him here and I just, I can’t,” Marie searched for the right words. “You see, Mr. Lupin, James is the reason I was inspired to play Quidditch. I was pretty sick when I was little, swollen joints - juvenile rheumatoid arthritis they called it. My parents tried everything to find me a cure. The MediWitches gave them all kinds of spells and potions to help with the pain, but I still had hurt joints constantly. My dream was to be a dancer, and to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet School specifically. I know training here is all very No-Maj but in France those rules do not apply. But that dream got put on hold with my limited movement, much to my parents’ relief I think.” She smiled sadly at this. 

“By the time I started getting better, James had joined the league. I knew he was the son of a war hero and all, but I saw an interview with him on WizNet after he’d just been newly signed to the Dragons. He mentioned how being a versatile Quidditch player helped him to overcome obstacles in his life and I thought if he could play any position, I could - at least - try. So I worked on overcoming my bad joints by reclaiming my mobility and learned to play. I wanted to be a Chaser but turns out I’m a better Keeper - better at blocking goals than scoring them. And all the pads I have to wear offer extra compression on my joints. Less stress on them that way,” she smiled softly. 

Teddy vaguely remembered that interview, James had just graduated and had bragged to anyone that would listen about having the chance to speak to Quidditch Monthly, but he was too distracted by Marie’s story to recall all the details. For all his faults, physical limitations not an issue he ever had to endure - his metamorphing ensured he could transform many of his physical faults into assets - his hands notwithstanding of course. But it wasn’t like that really impeded him or caused physical pain, it was more of an annoyance. 

“Anyway, my mom wasn’t _really_ exaggerating when she said I was James Potter’s number one fan,” Marie continued. “I have been following his career from the beginning. I was, um, surprised to find out he stepped down from playing. But he really did inspire me and that little video was, well, if you do know him, and I _know_ I have no right to ask this, but could you possibly pass on a message for me?”

Teddy was fairly certain James had heard every word Marie said anyway - it was not like she was being super quiet. He looked over to the back of the studio, impulsive decision made.

“I would be happy to pass something along,” he told Marie, “but wouldn’t you rather tell him yourself?”

Marie shot him a quizzical look.

“Give me a minute.” Teddy felt her eyes follow him as he walked back to his kitchenette. James sat on the kitchenette’s small table, legs tucked under himself, staring intently at his phone. He looked up and smiled when Teddy walked in.

“You are under no obligation to do this,” Teddy said a bit nervously, “but I have a client out there who would love to meet you.”

James’ gregarious nature must override his reservation about meeting fans, thought Teddy, as he watched James pocket his phone and practically bounce off the table. 

“Why are we still in here then?” 

Teddy could have kissed him, but he figured there was a girl in the other room who might be even happier by the prospect. He felt a slight pang of jealousy but quickly dismissed it to the back of his mind.

“C’mon then,” James practically pulled Teddy into the other room.

Standing in the doorway Teddy caught Marie’s gasp. She leapt to her feet but seemed speechless as James crossed the room to her.

“Hi, Marie, is it?” James had his signature grin on his face.

Marie looked like someone had struck all the color from her face. Even her grey eyes, which previously held so much intensity, appeared to have glossed over. Her initial shock settled quickly allowing pure awe to take its place, lighting her features up as James sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit next to him. Teddy tried to imprint those shapes in his mind for her painting.

“It’s great to finally meet you, though I certainly can’t remember the last time I made someone speechless,” James joked, “even Teddy tends to open up when he’s around me.” Teddy felt his heart leap to his throat.

Marie’s mouth dropped open for a brief moment before she seemed to come to her senses and snapped her jaw shut. The silence was slightly deafening and then, “OH-MY-Goodness _Merlin,_ you’re- I mean, I’m- Hi!”

James chuckled softly.

“I’m sorry, where are my manners. It’s so wonderful to meet you. Like, my mom, she told me, I mean, you- you were the one who Apparated in earlier? Oh-my- _gosh_ my friends won’t even believe this! I got to meet James Potter!” Marie took a moment to collect herself. “I- I have to thank you. For the video the other day. But also for inspiring me. I’ve admired your skills since you started playing professionally. And I know you're no longer on the team, but you still inspire me. Somehow, I think I'll always owe you.”

Teddy watched as James’ face took on a softer frequency, similar to how he might look at Lily when he wanted to hug her. It’s affectionate in a brotherly way. He leaned in a little closer to Marie, casually knocking his shoulder against hers. Marie looked like she might die of joy. 

“Thank you. You never know who you’ll have an effect on in this world - try to remember that when you play professional Quidditch.”

“Oh, I don’t really think- I mean, I’ll probably go into Wizarding Cultural and Language Studies, but if I ever somehow manage to land a team contract, I’ll try to remember that.” Marie looked like she took his words to heart. “Do you think- I know you did that video with my mom, but do you think you could take a photo with me?”

“Where’s your phone?”

Teddy watched as Marie pulled out the device from her pocket and handed it to James, who held it out ready to snap a shot. But before the camera could click he turned to Teddy. “Maybe,” he said to Marie, “we should let the artist take it?” She nodded eagerly and James handed the phone over to Teddy with a smile that he was pretty sure he was never going to be able to say no to.

Framing the shot just-so, he snapped two photos before handing the device back over.

“Thank you again, Mr. Potter, sir. You too, Teddy.”

“It’s James.”

Marie blushed, “Yes, James.”

“If you chose to post that,” James looked at Marie with a knowing glint in his eye, “feel like tagging me and ELupinStudios? Teddy here is working on building up his following.”

“Oh, yeah? Absolutely, I mean, it would be an honor. I will have to think of something to say-“

“I’m certain you’ll be inspired,” the confident smile on James’ face hid a hint of mischief. Teddy quickly stifled his laugh at the whole thing when a still star-struck Marie looked over at him, offering up a look that he would later describe as pure gratitude. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being over 9k+ words - longest to date! Hope you all enjoyed the extra reading :D I really tried to develop what being a Wizarding portrait artist entails - I hope I did it justice. The Quidditch World Cup is all canon but I put my own spin on it.
> 
> All the comments and kudos are really giving me life and motivation <3 I love reading them - and my beta likes seeing them too - thank you for leaving them!
> 
> For more join me on tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	9. Death by Chocolate

**Chapter 9 - Death by Chocolate**

“Well, today was a success.”

James and Teddy found themselves enjoying one of Teddy’s “infamous chocolate sundaes” (a title his Gran had given them after the mess Teddy had made the first time he’d created one - piling chocolate chunk ice cream on top of a bed of Nutella and topping it all with hot chocolate fudge and sprinkles) while sitting outside on Teddy’s balcony. The cool night air held a slight breeze that ruffled Teddy’s turquoise hair, which he wore a little longer than usual. The almost new moon made for a dark night save for a few stars, but the light pollution from the city compensated for the lack of moonlight.

“Was it?” Teddy wondered out loud, spoon hitting the bottom of his bowl as he cut through his ice cream. 

Over dinner, which had been at a local Mediterranean place that Teddy frequently ordered take-away from, he and James had reviewed the assistant applications that had come in. There had been plenty of rubbish to get through: lots of underqualified applicants, remote applicants, or wizards with no experience. So far only two candidates looked promising enough to bring in for an interview; Teddy planned to reach out to them in a few days' time after more resumes had a chance to come in.

“I think so,” James said in between bites, throwing his free arm over Teddy’s shoulders to pull him closer. “I got some more info for my article, you got some people responding to your assistant ad, we made some progress on your social presence, and I got to do this,” he leaned forward to place a small kiss on Teddy’s lips, which tasted of chocolate, before quickly pulling back, “as much as I humanly could.”

“Hm, I don’t think you’ve done that enough actually,” Teddy teased, as he leaned back in. 

Snogging James was like kissing liquid sunshine, Teddy decided. But talking to James, working out problems and genuinely connecting, was like the hot fudge on his sundae - making his insides warm and the kisses that much sweeter. He was enamored.

Craving more Teddy leaned in even closer, setting his bowl down on the ground and pushing James up against the window pane. He heard a small sound like a growl which went straight to his groin. Not that he needed any encouragement there anyway - his burgeoning erection was pressing hot and heavy against James’ own. It took every ounce of control Teddy had not to strip him bare right there.

He was snapped out of his reverie by a sudden cold and sticky sensation down his back. 

“Ah, Merlin. Sorry. Teddy?” James' voice held a hint of amusement, his lips cherry red from being freshly snogged. “I meant to levitate my bowl down-”

“You are incorrigible,” Teddy teased, laughing. “And that’s certainly the first time I’ve had ice cream spilled down my back while snogging.”

“Hey! I’m  _ your _ incorrigible lover. And at least it’s chocolate?” James looked slightly sheepish but mostly amused. Pulling out his wand he cast a quick “ _ Scourgify” _ which caused the chocolate stain to lift off Teddy’s back restoring his shirt to its original maroon red.

“Probably shouldn’t have done that,” James muttered, levitating both their sundae bowls inside before putting his wand away.

“Huh? Why?” 

“Because, silly,” Jame said, teasingly, “Now I don’t have an excuse to rip your shirt off.”

“You,” Teddy said, stepping closer to James, “ _ never  _ need an excuse.”

“Is that so, Mr. Lupin?” 

“So cheeky,” Teddy replied with a grin before kissing James deeply again, “now, where were we?”

James didn’t answer, simply put both his hands on Teddy’s shirt and pulled him closer. James' lips were soft and warm. Teddy couldn't get enough of them and the hard, solid body under him. He moved his hands down to James’ waist, pulling him even closer and gently stroking his hip. James moaned softly and Teddy felt himself melt a little. 

“Bed,” he murmured between kisses. “Unless you want me to go down on you here and now.”

“Outside, huh?” James grinned, “I’ll have to remember that for future.”

For  _ future _ , Teddy’s brain registered that as important, a silent thrill traveling through his body at the thought. “Keep teasing like that and we won’t make it past the couch.”

“While fucking in your living room could be fun, I think-” James’ voice took on a note of seriousness and Teddy took one minor step away to look at his face, leaving one hand tangled up in James’ hair.

“Yes?”

“I think, I have wanted you for too long to fuck this up now. Bed?”

“Absolutely,” Teddy breathed then pulled James close again, caressing his back and breathing in his scent. Reluctantly pulling back again, Teddy backed up enough to grab James' hand and led him into the warmth of the apartment, heading towards the bedroom.

“Since you said I don’t need an excuse,” James' voice rumbled as soon as they made it past the door frame, his hand reaching out to grab the bottom of Teddy’s shirt and lifting it up over his head. Teddy felt a brief moment of bewilderment that James hadn’t torn off his clothes with magic when James' voice cut through, “Beautiful.”

Teddy looked down at his entirely ordinary stomach. With just a thought, he could morph his muscles into a 6-pack, or an even-dozen if he wanted to, but it felt so inauthentic and conceited. Besides, he wasn’t sure he deserved an Adonis body simply because he could morph into one at any time. Others earned their toned body shapes through hard work and it simply didn't feel fair or ethical for Teddy to cheat anytime he wanted. Teddy worked to keep many of his physical features as average as possible, including his cock, rarely morphing anything to suit his or his partner’s desires. 

“You know,” Teddy leaned forward to return the favor, running his fingers under the hem of James’ shirt before tugging it up, “You don’t have to lie, I could look like anything you wanted.”

“But, I want you to look like  _ Teddy.” _

Teddy didn’t even give himself a moment to process the lightness he felt in his chest at the words. He pushed James onto the bed, hands dipping down to unbutton James’ jeans and sliding them off with his boxers in one fluid motion. Then he leaned down to capture James’ lips once more, sucking on his bottom lip. Holding tight to Teddy’s hips, James let out a moan, “Mmm, sexy. I liked that.”

The feeling of their cocks close together, combined with the heavy lust in James’ eyes, made Teddy feel like he was going to explode before he even took off his pants. Taking a breath he pulled back slightly, moving his hand down James’ chest and placing a small kiss on his sternum before taking a jutting nipple into his mouth. While his tongue tasted and teased, he ran his fingers down to James’ cock. The smooth shaft filled his fist as he stroked up and down, causing James to cry out.

“Teddy,” James’ voice sounded breathless and he looked at Teddy like he was the greatest gift in the world. Hands reaching out to the hem of Teddy’s pants, James palmed the hard cock within as he pulled them off, leaving them both completely naked at last. 

“Will you make love to me?”

‘Make love,’ Teddy’s brain was on fire, ‘not fuck.’ The words were soft, gentle, and perfect. He pulled James close and kissed him hard. “Yes,” he purred wantonly, not caring how desperate he sounded.

Teddy thought he might have some lube, somewhere, but at the moment he couldn’t for the life of him remember where it was. With a rare burst of wandless, wordless magic he summoned the jar close, reaching in to coat his fingers before inserting one inside James while simultaneously stroking up and down his cock.

“Ah, Teddy!” James exclaimed, before biting his lip.

James was impossibly tight. Muscles gripped Teddy’s finger while his other hand continued to palm James’ cock. The wondrous look of pleasure on James’ face was a magical sight, Teddy decided. 

Feeling James loosen up a bit, Teddy inserted a second finger.

“Teddy, just-”

“Sh- I want to do this.”

“Feels, so good,” James moaned. “Want all of you.”

Teddy removed his fingers, pulling himself back up and kissing James deeply on the lips. “You already have all of me.”

James shook his head. “I will have all of you,” he said, “Inside. Me.”

Teddy pulled him close, reveling in the feeling of being so wanted. 

James ran his fingers down Teddy’s torso to his fully erect cock. He gripped it with firm fingers before lifting his legs, pulling Teddy down on top of him. The look in his eyes was intense and serene as he begged, “Please Teddy?” Teddy moved against him in waves, teasing his hole, before lining up and sliding home.

It was slow going and James was tight, but their connection was raw and real as James slowly opened up to him and Teddy bottomed out. Looking into James's eyes, they fell into a slow rhythm with no urgency, just sensual and reassuring as James moaned under Teddy.

Teddy felt like James was made for him, feeling his balls pressed against James’ ass, trying to get deeper and thrusting progressively faster, before- 

“Ugh- Teddy, I think I’m gonna-”

Teddy took in the sight of James as he came, watching the pleasure play out across his face and feeling his ass clench around his cock was enough to send Teddy over the edge, shooting his hot seed deep inside James. Seeing stars, Teddy lowered his head to James’ chest, not wanting to pull out and lose their connection.

Breathing heavily, Teddy kissed James passionately, feeling James’ cum pressed between them and reveling in the warm afterglow. James looked dazed and delighted as his arms came to wrap themselves around Teddy’s torso.

“You are amazing,” James whispered. “I think your cock was made to fuck me.”

Teddy was unsure if he wanted to admit to having the exact same thought, but as he opened his mouth his words betrayed him. “Make love,” he corrected.

“Always.”

Teddy could not get over how good James felt against him, even when he finally pulled his flaccid cock from James’ amazing ass. ‘Make love’ didn’t even cover half of it - it went deeper than that to levels of connection Teddy had never experienced before. Looking at James he knew what he was feeling could be put into three little words but did not dare say them out loud. The last thing he wanted to do was scare James off.

But James didn’t look like anything could scare him off. He radiated contentment and adoration from every angle as he pulled himself closer into Teddy, kissing his shoulder. “You are amazing,” he repeated. 

Teddy captured his lips again in a searing kiss, putting all his heart into it until he had to pull back to breathe. Resting his arm across James, he settled into the pillows completely spent.

They laid there for a few moments, Teddy completely caught up in James: his smell, his taste, the way he moaned and gasped when Teddy touched him. It was so incredibly validating and real. 

“So,” James voice drifted over the bed, “I talked to my dad this morning-“

“Agh- James, we just had fantastic sex and you want to ruin it by bringing up your dad?”

“It’s pillow-talk, you prat, ever heard of it?”

“Yeah, but could you have not brought this up over dinner?” Teddy groaned. 

James smirked, “I tried but we had a million other things to chat about, and besides this is way more fun now that I get to see you all outta your comfort zone.”

“Who’s the prat here?”

“Tease.”

“You love it.”

“I love you.”

The words fell out of James’ mouth so casually, but Teddy could tell by his tone that he spoke nothing but truth in its rawest and most pure form. Teddy just stared in awe as silence mounted.

“Cat got your tongue?” It was teasing, loving, and very affectionate.

“You love me?” 

“Of course I do. How could I not?”

The awe and surprise that colored James’ words hit Teddy square in the chest. He thought back to all the times James always knew how to connect with him, even when he didn’t want to be found. James who lifted him up. James who he could not stop thinking about since he’d arrived on his studio doorstep, but even before then - exchanging letters and OwlMail and firecalls - there were countless moments that came to mind that represented each of them thinking of the other. James who Teddy could see himself falling more and more in love with each passing day because it was already happening.

“Teddy?” James’ hand came up to brush turquoise hair back from Teddy’s face, a soft, quizzical expression on his face.

“I love you too.” 

The words flowed from Teddy’s lips and caused James’ face to light up so brilliantly golden that Teddy felt like he was staring into the sun. It was a little overwhelming, so he closed his eyes and leaned forward, sealing his declaration with a kiss that overwhelmed all of his senses. James returned the kiss with fervor, holding him close and grabbing his ass. It was warm and real and felt right. Teddy allowed himself to breathe into James, the man who simply held him and didn’t ask him to change or be anything he wasn’t in that current moment. It was exhilarating and extremely healing.

Teddy wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that - it could have been minutes or a few hours. It was James who finally untangled himself, giving Teddy a great view of his bare arse, evidence of their lovemaking running down his inner thighs, as he crossed the room to the loo. When he returned he was smiling, flinging himself on the bed and causing Teddy to bounce up and down.

“OOF!” James exhaled but he was laughing, limbs spread out.

Teddy couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “You are my favorite,” the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“Is that so?” James looked up at him adoringly, “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Keep this up and I’ll never let you go.”

“That’s the plan. My evil scheme is working.”

“Oh yes, so evil,” Teddy teased, capturing James lips again and snogging for several moments before James pulled back breathless.

“Keep that up and we’ll have to go for round two.”

“Maybe that’s  _ my _ evil plan,” Teddy taunted playfully, trailing his hand down to James’ cock, already half mast, and running his fingers lightly up and down the shaft.

“OH-” James moaned, leaning into Teddy’s neck and kissing there, driving Teddy wild. Suddenly he wanted to taste James again, feel his hardness in his mouth, so he started down his torso, leaving kisses in his wake before licking up the underside of James’ perfect cock and taking it into his mouth.

James tasted sweet and salty all at once. Teddy’s mouth maintained suction as he swirled his tongue around the head before taking him all back in at once. James moaned, completely lost in the feeling, and pulled on Teddy's hair, encouraging him to go deeper. Teddy was more than happy to oblige, sucking James’ cock was intoxicating and he felt like he could become addicted. James groaned as Teddy sucked gently, massaging his balls with his hand, bringing him closer to the edge as he relentlessly lapped at James’ hard cock. It wasn’t long before James shuddered and moaned, exploding for a second time down the back of Teddy’s throat where he swallowed every last drop, indulging in the flavor that was uniquely James.

With James’ balls drained dry, every drop savored, Teddy climbed his way back up to James’ chest, reveling in the sensation of soft skin and the rhythm of James’ slightly labored breathing. James kissed him passionately, “What about you?” 

“What about me?”

“What if I want to return the favor?”

“You,” Teddy captured James’ lips again, “already have.”

James' smile at that could have lit an entire city block, but his eyes still held traces of concern. Teddy ran his hand down the back of James’ head to his neck.

“The way I see it,” Teddy voice was cheeky, “we can both cuddle here for the rest of the night and never move until we both recharge for round 3, or -”

“Round 2.5 can go down right now?”

Teddy laughed. “You overestimate my regenerative powers.”

“Or maybe I’m just confident in my own abilities.”

Teddy studied James’ face. The determination reflecting back at him was enough to make Teddy want to both challenge and reassure him.

“James, we have the rest of our lives, or however long you’ll have me for. You’ll find I’m not going anywhere. In fact you’ll probably get sick of me first,” Teddy tried to pull off the self-deprecating joke, but it fell a little flat. 

“I am most decidedly not going anywhere. Fairytale ending, remember? We’re owed.” 

The callback was not lost on Teddy. The tumultuous nature of his relationship with Victoire, his longest to date, had always put him on the defensive. Any attempts at a relationship since had resulted in short four to six month stints that always dissolved for some reason or another: everything from his attraction never developing due to lack of emotional connection to discovering he’d been cheated on, or lied to, or otherwise betrayed. One particularly short trist had ended after the bi-sexual man he’d been dating discovered Teddy was a metamorphmagus who wouldn’t morph into a woman. Male or female, it didn’t matter, relationships always ended the same: with Teddy crying into a bottle of some alcohol or another until he could suck up his pride and pull himself together. More often than not, he’d channel the loss into his personal artwork.

But besides romance gone awry, Teddy also knew first hand how life simply wasn’t  _ fair _ . He didn’t ask for his parents to leave him behind, but they had all the same, leaving him with no tangible memories to recall them with. He craved unconditional love but it wasn’t something that his Gran could truly offer, too haunted by the loss of her husband and daughter. He was constantly on eggshells when it came to his Gran, painfully aware how easily he could ruin her mood with a simple use of his metamorphic abilities. By the time he’d left for Hogwarts, he’d seen enough pictures and heard countless stories to know why the sight of him with pink hair made her sad. He had never been able to control his hair morphs much, but he hadn’t morphed his hair pink in decades. 

It felt to Teddy like his Gran had always pushed him to be the best because then she could at least brag about him to all her friends. But that pride and praise had always come attached to Teddy’s accomplishments and she never seemed to express pride because of who he  _ was  _ or the things he loved to do. Activities in those categories were always “little hobbies” or “side interests” that she was still probably hoping he would grow out of one day. Even Harry, and the rest of the Weasley-Potter horde, couldn’t fully heal this gaping hole in his world - they had their own families, their own lives, and though they offered him their support, once he and Victoire had split, a rift had torn through certain members of the family that couldn’t be completely patched. 

A happy ending sounded cliche to Teddy’s ears, but it also sounded like the ultimate indulgence. A fantasy world he wanted to climb into and live for a while: paint a golden castle with turquoise turrets and a large moat that would keep the cold and rotten out and the happiness in. 

But James - Teddy turned his full attention back to the younger man. The man who was here, and solid in his arms. The man who tasted better than the richest of chocolates, whose skin felt softer than velvet, who radiated the frequency of love and forgiveness and all things good. This man who wanted Teddy and put him first. 

Teddy couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by it all. He ran his hand down the side of James’ face. “You’re incredible.”

“Nah,” James waved off the compliment, “just head over heels.”

Both men dissolved into laughter. It was the most natural feeling in the world to be beside James laughing. Teddy couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this happy.

“Merlin, I love you.”

“Merlin should have nothing to do with it,” James laughed, “but I love you too.”

They calmed down, lying in each other's arms for a bit, the bed supporting them, as the world narrowed into a moment of silence. 

Teddy felt himself drifting, mind wandering, as he held James tightly like he was going to vanish in his arms. The silence felt comfortable, if a bit heavy, as he cast his brain around for something to break through the darkness. “Hey,” he tapped James a little with his leg, “this is entirely unsexy, but do you remember George ever getting a lawyer to patent some of his merch?”

“Unsexy is entirely accurate,” James' voice sounded sleepy but also amused, “what made you think of that?”

“It’s pillow-talk, ever heard of it?”

The pillow to the face made Teddy laugh out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I did justice to the Explicit tag and made it worth the wait :D
> 
> Comments/Kudos/Subscriptions make my heart sing <3
> 
> If you want to chat more, come hang out: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	10. White Knight

**Chapter 10 - White Knight**

Sunday morning dawned early. Light streamed through Teddy’s window waking him slowly. With promised whispers to discuss their lingering questions in the morning, he and James had fallen asleep together, arms wrapped around each other. It was warm and cosy as Teddy gazed down at James sleeping fitfully in his arms and cursed his full bladder. Pushing himself up, he got out of bed and padded over to relieve himself before returning to bed to spoon James tight against him. All the while his mind replayed the events of the night before.

It wasn’t long before he drifted back to sleep.

When he woke again, James was snogging him thoroughly. He moaned as his brain caught up with the wonderful feel of James’ mouth against his. 

"Good morning, Sunshine.”

James slowly kissed down Teddy's chest, bringing a smile to the artist's face, before he sank down to gently suck on the tip of Teddy's cock. His eyelashes fluttered closed as he licked and circled with his tongue, James’ fingernails digging into the soft flesh of Teddy’s thighs. 

Transfixed by the sight, Teddy thought he could wake up to this every single day for the rest of his life. Rocking his hips, Teddy looked down and watched as his cock slid in and out of James’ red lips. Unable to contain himself, he groaned loudly from the pleasure.

Running his fingers through James’ hair, Teddy lost track of time. The feeling of James’ lips on his cock was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

“Cum for me,” James begged, voice heavy with lust. He locked eyes with Teddy before sucking him in again. Teddy could feel he was getting closer. Fire pooling low in his abdomen, he continued to fuck James’ mouth until he was cumming, dissolving into pleasure as James swallowed every last drop.

“Well, that’s one way to wake up in the morning.”

James grinned, “I wanted breakfast.”

Teddy laughed, “I love you too. Should we take a shower and find some real breakfast? Or would you like me to return the favor?” Teddy’s hungry eyes lingered on James.

“Why don’t you return the favor in the shower?” the devilish tone in James’ voice went straight to Teddy’s cock, which threatened to get hard yet again.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you are?” Teddy growled. “I don’t even care how cliche it sounds - you turn me on so much.”

“It’s a gift,” James said with a wink, “You coming or what?”

Following mutual handjobs in the shower, Teddy donned his favorite mustard yellow, long sleeve shirt, worn from years of washings, and a pair of faded black jeans that James commented made his arse look good. James put on an old Gryffindor quidditch sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. Teddy looked him up and down, “Not worried about the New York fall and the cold, huh?” he teased.

James gave him a puzzled look, “Nah, warming charms are a thing, Ted-ward. Plus today’s my day off - I can wear whatever the hell I want.”

“True.”

“Now, what was that about breakfast?”

“I was thinking we could grab some tea - sorry, coffee for you - and walk around Central Park for a bit? The Wizarding section is pretty cool. Same with the Met. Though, if you really want to see art, I could also take you over to Ruby’s studio - I’m due to stop by and say hi.”

“Coffee and Central Park first? Maybe if I figure out my way around there I can go for a run in the mornings.”

“A run? Didn’t we just work out enough?” Teddy asked with a laugh.

James gave him a look that said ‘you know what I mean.’ Teddy shrugged, clearly not fully comprehending the gravity of James’ desire to exercise.

“I just- it’s the one thing I really _really_ miss about being on the team, you know? Running. Working out. It just cleared my mind, gave me motivation, in addition to abs for days - mine are natural. No morphing here, you know?” The last line was teasing.

“Oi- you!” Though Teddy knew that James meant it in jest, he rarely had anyone joke with him about his morphing abilities, and it stung all the same. He tried to hide the sting behind his laugh, wrapping his arm around James’ midsection to feel those abs for himself.

“Oh, no you don’t!” James’ laughter was loud. “Get us started and we won’t leave. And Central Park and coffee were promised, Teddy. _Promised._ Coffee.”

Teddy made a face but grabbed his wand and phone all the same, leaving the bag containing his sketchbook on the floor. James shot him a quizzical look.

“You’re not bringing your bag?”

“I thought, well, it’s not just your day off, you know?” Teddy looked down at his hands which had become very interesting all of a sudden. He tried not to play with his sleeve hem nervously and was proud of himself when he was semi-successful.

James laughed not unkindly, but the sharp edge caused Teddy to look up at him.

“Teddy.”

“Yes?”

“Bring your bloody sketchbook.”

Teddy was a little shocked at James’ slightly forceful tone. In his previous experience, good things never came from dragging out his sketchbook while on a date. “But I thought today was, could be, about the two of us?” Teddy protested, wincing at how flimsy he sounded. 

“Yes,” James’ golden smile returned, “about us. That means your sketchbook, your blue hair, and anything else that makes you _you,_ me _me,_ and us _us_. You overthinking prat.”

Teddy thought he felt his insides melt a little as he turned to grab his bag off the floor, mumbling “It’s turquoise.”

“Leave it to the artist to tell the difference, not me.”

“More like the synesthetes,” Teddy mumbled. At James’ confused expression he shrugged and explained, “slightly different vibrations.”

James’ face lit up. “Well, now I have a million more questions, but first. Coffee, Teddy. Ern- well, tea or hot chocolate for you, I suppose. But either way - let’s go.”

The line at the coffee shop was rather short for a Sunday morning in fall. James ordered a black coffee and hot chai for Teddy, who was feeling up for something slightly spicy. Together they split a cinnamon roll, enjoying the sweetness, before heading over to the park. 

They walked under the trees while a kaleidoscope of leaves, still in the midst of the season's color change, fell to the ground, crunching under their feet as they made their way toward the wizarding part of the park. Teddy had deliberately taken them along the longer, scenic route to show James some of the No-Maj areas. They had passed several families with young kids enjoying the day outdoors, multiple bikers, and a few joggers - James was already excitedly talking about coming back for a run.

“You could go for one today if you want,” Teddy offered, “I can find a bench and wait.”

“I wouldn’t want you to do that…” James looked at the ground with an odd expression on his face. Teddy wasn’t sure what had put it there, but he wanted to take it away.

“Look, today is all about what we want to do, right?”

James nodded.

“That’s about you too. So I am going to sit right over there,” Teddy pointed to an open bench half in the sun, “and you’re going to go for a run. How long do you need?”

James’ face was a mixture of complacency combined with excitement. He took a moment before replying, “Okay, sure. Yeah.” Ignoring Teddy’s question he handed over his coffee before stripping off his sweatshirt and tee in one go and passing those along as well. “But instead of just shrinking these you gotta babysit them.”

James’ instructions faded to the background as Teddy tried not to drool when the autumn sun hit James’ torso. Taking the offered sweatshirt in a daze, Teddy walked over to the bench and sat down so half of him was in the shade, parking his bag beside him. Taking care to not stare at James’ arse too obviously as he disappeared into the park, Teddy reluctantly cast a quick, wandless warming charm on the coffee and took a sip of his chai before slouching down and pulling out his new sketchbook. He was now very grateful that James had insisted that he bring it. The leather felt soft in his hands as he held it, running his fingertips over the colorful gemstones on the spine and the runes on the cover before flipping it open. 

A fresh, blank page stared up at him. Never before had Teddy been so reluctant to start sketching in a new sketchbook - normally he tore into new books with a vigor he felt towards little else in his life. But in this case, it somehow felt important, like the first image he sketched had to be ‘just-right’. Perhaps it was a testament to how content he felt, but he pulled a small tin of pencils out of his bag and, without stopping to think, began drawing anyway, creating form on the cream-colored paper for the first time. 

It took a moment for Teddy to realize he was sketching James. Unlike the mindless doodles he had sketched out at his studio, his aim here was to seriously capture James.The last time he could remember sketching James with this level of detail had been Christmas-time last year. Lily had asked him if she could commission a small piece from him of the three Potter-siblings for her parents. “I would love to be able to draw it myself,” he recalled her saying, “but you have the talent and I do not.” And so Teddy had spent Christmas Eve in the corner, sketching the three Potter siblings as he saw them, cursing himself for procrastinating on the project when he could have arrived earlier in the week to spend more time at Grimmauld Place - portkeys weren’t that difficult to get if one had the money and he had had nowhere to go for Christmas dinner. His Gran had sent his presents to the States early with a card that explained she was spending the holiday with her sister and the rest of the Malfoy family. The implication had been crystal clear. 

The Potters, by contrast, had accepted Teddy in as one of their own while he had worked for several hours, watching as Al saved Ginny’s turkey from a horrible fiery death (she never was the greatest cook in the family) and as Lily tried on several jumpers and robes, debating what to wear to the Traditional Weasley Christmas Day Feast at her Grandparents the next day. James had returned with Harry from some last minute Christmas shopping, purchases in tow, dropping them all behind him in a heap on the floor before heading off to the kitchen and helping himself to some of Al’s freshly baked Christmas cookies. 

“James!” Harry had called after him, “who do you think is going to pick these up?”

“I don’t know. Father Christmas?” James replied, returning with a fistful of cookies. Teddy watched as James shoved a whole one into his mouth. Harry left the room with a ‘humph.’

“Here,” James had said with a smile, coming over to where Teddy sat sketching. “I saved you the last of the chocolate chip.”

With his concentration effectively snapped and then captured anew, Teddy had looked up at the cookie like it was alien. Coming to his senses, he had reached up to take the soft cookie, accidentally showing James his sketch. “Wait - is that me?” James had asked, fingers reaching down to touch the page but pulling away at the last moment.

Teddy, with a mouth full of cookie, had simply nodded.

“I don’t look like that,” James had stated, crossing his arms. A small hint of shock in his eyes. 

Teddy had looked from the page back up to James’ face. They looked the same to him. “Don’t look like what?” Teddy had asked, clearly confused.

“Like that. I would describe myself as beautiful there, or at the very least…” his voice had trailed off, almost as if he’d had another thought. Teddy hadn’t followed it, instead he had simply replied, “I draw what I see.”

The smile on James’ face had felt like a reward. Just like it did now as Teddy looked up to see James jogging in place in front of him with sweat dripping down his chest, glinting in the sunlight.

“That was fast!” He grinned up at James. “Have a nice run?”

“About a half hour - 6 kilometers or so? Not so bad,” James said. Casting _Scourgify_ wandlessly he crashed down on the bench beside Teddy, grabbed his shirt and pulling it back on. Teddy tried not to mourn the loss of bare skin. 

“Thanks for letting me do that,” James grinned as he picked up his coffee, which was still hot. “And for the warming charm.”

“Don’t thank me just yet - I hope your coffee doesn’t taste too weird. And they use miles here,” Teddy said offhandedly. James raised his cup and took a sip. Teddy perceived him trying not to make a face.

“Tastes like coffee,” James said, taking a second sip. “But clearly your charms still have an odd effect when it comes to water.”

Teddy nodded, secretly impressed that James had remembered that detail about his magic and slightly embarrassed that James had to drink it now. He turned back to put some finishing touches on his sketch. He became absorbed for a moment until he felt James’ arm slide over his shoulders.

“That is eerily accurate,” James said, referencing the sketch, “or perhaps a better version of me - I don’t think I look that, um-”

Teddy forced himself to look into James’ eyes before stating, “I draw what I see, how I see it.”

The beat that flowed between them was warm and comfortable. James took a third sip of his coffee before breaking the moment, “So I was talking to my dad yesterday.”

“Oh right,” Teddy covertly pulled out his wand to cast a quick preservation charm on the graphite before closing his sketchbook. “You started to tell me that last night.”

“Yeah.”

“So, what did he say about us?”

James shifted stiffly and looked down towards his shoes, “Wait, no, you don’t, I mean - I didn’t say anything about that. Not yet. I thought we would, I don’t know, do that together? Someday?”

Teddy moved his hand to caress James’ neck before pressing a quick peck on his cheek. Pulling back he murmured, “You know? I think I’d like that.”

James rewarded him with a winning smile before continuing, “Well anyway, I was talking with him about my article, you know? Well, actually, he and mum fire-called me first because Lily had informed them that Madison Graves reposted that selfie picture that I took with Marie from when _she_ posted it - I guess Witch Weekly picked up the story and it spread like fiendfyre. ‘James Potter Still Inspiring a Generation,’” sighing, James put up his hands like he was mimicking a Grand Marquee sign on Broadway. “I like knowing I inspire people, but when it gets back to my parents like that it’s really not the most fun, you know? Mostly because I didn’t tell them. Even Al doesn’t make the headlines like I do. As much as they say he’s the problem child, sometimes I think it’s just me, always falling short of expectations, being gay but having to keep it quiet, and everything else besides - it’s all a little daunting.” 

Teddy nodded. He didn’t even have to pretend to understand, it all sounded extremely relatable.

“Anyways, that aside,” James barreled on like he hadn’t just revealed anything revolutionary or vulnerable, “I can’t say too much now, but you already know I have some suspicions about a certain MACUSA President, and Madison is helping me with some information she has. Well, she doesn’t know she’s helping, but flash a certain ‘wonder boy’ smile her way and,” James waved his hands in a gesture Teddy took to mean ‘she would cave and tell him anything he wanted.’ He briefly wondered if he should feel jealous.

“So, back to dad. After I calmed him down about the unexpected press appearance, we chatted for a bit. Turns out Merton Graves, you remember him - cellist for the Weird Sisters? Madison’s dad?”

Teddy shook his head.

“Well he went to school with Uncle George. Same year at Hogwarts. Dad said he met him once at a concert of theirs years ago. I guess he and mum went with Uncle George and Aunt Angelina. It was the last tour The Weird Sisters were doing in Europe before coming over to the States and they sent out a few VIP tickets. Dad said he got to meet with the band afterwards. That was where he met Madison - of course she was younger then, not the star she is now, and certainly not affecting politics - and Merton’s wife, Charlotte, who is a descendant from an old American pureblood family. Or at least that’s what dad said. I know the Graves have a lineage and an infamous and crazy political history here, but across the pond Merton’s just kinda known for playing the cello in a band, you know?” 

“That’s probably for the best.” Teddy thought back on his limited knowledge of the war with Grindelwald and how the Graves family name had been tied to it. He knew American wizards had the story a lot more ingrained in their history than it was in England, and History of Magic had never been his favorite subject. Unless it involved art history, Teddy just couldn’t find it within himself to care - a tendency Troy had tried to break him of more than once. Troy liked war history, Wizard and No-Maj alike, and often tried to engage Teddy in discussion. While he was scores more engaging than Professor Binns had ever been, it was still hard for Teddy to pay attention. Teddy had grown up surrounded by real life war heroes. War had left his family ravaged. War took things, it did not make things, thus war was not something that interested him.

“Probably,” James agreed. “Anyway, dad told me he thought he could get me in touch if needed. With the rest of the Graves, I mean. Merton’s wife and brother are both in deep with the MACUSA. Hence why I got in touch with Madison - connections gotta come in handy sometime, you know?”

Teddy didn’t know if he knew, but he found himself nodding. “So do you think you’ll need to use them at all?”

James shrugged. “Who knows? But they’re nice to have if needed. When push comes to shove. You know how that goes.”

Teddy continued to nod as he redirected the conversation, “Speaking of George, you never answered my question from last night.”

“About the patents?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t remember anything, but I can ask mum and dad about it. They might know. Or Uncle George himself. Why do you ask?”

“Marie mentioned that her dad had worked on patenting Self-Inking Quills, among others, and her father may have confirmed,” Teddy tried to sound casual.

“Hm, I can ask,” James said, standing up and offering his hand out to Teddy. “Are we going to sit around all day or do we have a city to explore?”

Taking his hand, Teddy allowed himself to be pulled up from the bench - the momentum propelling him closer to James and on impulse he went in for a quick snog. The smile in return was enough to make Teddy’s knees feel like he would topple back down onto the bench if he wasn’t careful. He swayed a moment before regaining his composure and lacing James’ fingers with his own. Teddy felt a sense of calm steel over him as he led them towards WCP.

One entered Wizarding Central Park, or WCP as it was usually referred to, in a manner similar to Diagon Alley - tapping a sequence of bricks on the Ramble Stone Arch. Located on the West Side at 77th Street near the northern end of the park by the lake, the Arch stood tall in a cleft between two high rock outcrops. Many No-Maj considered it to be one of the most picturesque Central Park's bridges and indeed Teddy had been compelled to sketch it more than once. Though, in Teddy’s case, he had a double reason to be intrigued - illustrating a piece of Wizarding architecture history. Even James seemed to appreciate the craftsmanship.

Walking to the west side of the arch, Teddy pulled out his wand and tapped the sequence of bricks, admiring the magic as the west side entrance flung open, enveloping both men before smoothly becoming solid behind them once more. There was nothing so distinct about the changeover at first, but Teddy did take notice of a Witch with her cat familiar out for a walk which may have felt unusual and out of place on the other side. But then maybe not, No-Maj were open to all kinds of odd things these days.

“You know,” Teddy said, deciding to supply James with touristy ‘fun-facts’, “The entrance to WCP used to be on the Eastern side, or so the story goes. But I guess back in the 1920s a No-Maj discovered how to get in. Apparently every Wizard in New York worth their salt knows the story - or so Troy tells me. He was shocked when he discovered I hadn’t heard about it.”

“Oh?” James looked intrigued.

“To be fair I was new to the city at the time,” Teddy explained, “And the MACUSA is still unsure exactly how the No-Maj got in - though you have to admit it is unlikely a No-Maj would have the magic or know-how to enter on their own. Story goes that the wizards visiting the park that day completely freaked out when they discovered a No-Maj in their midst - though legend also has it the man had walked around for hours before he was discovered. Personally I think it was wizarding prejudice combined with the fear of Rappaport’s Law that caused a bit of panic but who knows? Anyway, it was a whole mess. The MACUSA was called in. The Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation ended up changing the entrance from the east side to the western bricks. I am certain they altered a few memories too,” Teddy made a face before continuing. “The official story reported by No-Maj is that eastern side of the arch contains stairs down to an underground cave that was boarded up over 100 years ago. Or at least that’s the story they’re still telling.”

“So no one else has ever come through? Well no other Muggles, I mean.”

Teddy shook his head, “Not that I know of.”

“Rappaport’s Law is the worst of Wizard-kind. I can’t even believe a law like that is still on the books. It’s a disgusting division between worlds. I am really glad there’s nothing like that back home,” James kicked some leaves as he said this, his voice firm with conviction. Teddy nodded in agreement. 

“I am hoping that it gets repealed someday,” Teddy supplied, “if for no other reason than I would like to enjoy some craft beer at a local No-Maj bar and not have to _worry_. But after all these years in the States I have kinda given up hope. Every now and again a movement will come along to repeal, but the reality of it is that Wizards and No-Maj here really do lead separate lives. I worry that as long as the old families remain in power nothing will ever be done. And the people it affects? Those in power will never understand them. Too much distance.”

“It’s so sad and disgusting,” James said. Teddy couldn’t help but agree. 

They fell into silence after that for a bit before James reached out to intertwine their fingers, squeezing Teddy’s hand slightly. Teddy’s gaze followed James’ as he took in their surroundings. Beyond the occasional wizard or witch walking a familiar or families with small children running by, the grounds here reminded Teddy of being out on the grounds at Hogwarts - the sights and smells feeling almost separate, independent, from the chaotic city he’d grown to love and more like the place he’d called home for the formative years of his young adult life. He opened his mouth to James to ask how he felt about it but was surprised when James beat him to the punch, “Teddy can I ask you a question?”

“I take it that one doesn’t count?” Teddy laughed.

James bit his lip and shook his head.

“Shoot.”

“Well I have a few more questions about synesthesia. Yours specifically.”

“What about it?” Teddy asked, tugging at the hem of his sleeve with his free hand in an attempt to hide his self-consciousness.

“Well I was doing some reading - online, you know? The other day. Downloaded a book too - skimmed it cover to cover,” the corner of James’ mouth tipped up just slightly. “They talked a lot about Grapheme-color and Chromesthesia synesthesia but neither of those sounded like you. Well, Grapheme-color kinda got closer, but you didn’t mention numbers or letters having color - only that colors had sound. So I was curious - I mean I was wondering, er, I mean you certainly don’t have to tell me of course, but I would like to know -”

“Merlin, who are you and what have you done with James?” Teddy teased, not used to this insecure rambling of his new lover but simultaneously feeling touched by James’ innate curiosity. Teddy always shied away from these types of questions, but because James had done to work to learn more about something so integral to his being he felt oddly like he wanted to share. “Just ask me. I won’t be upset,” he hoped James could hear the sincerity in his voice.

“You sure?”

Teddy stopped in his tracks, moving to stand in front of James and blocking his path. “Trust me James, there’s not much _you_ could ask me that would make me upset.”

“I don’t want to jeopardize-”

“You couldn’t,” Teddy smiled. “Today is all about us, right? And us is knowing everything about each other. You have never had a problem asking me questions before about anything and everything. I would rather you didn’t start now. You’re not going to offend me. I really truly, honestly, thought that was clear.”

James' eyes lightened a shade, giving Teddy hope that the sincerity of his words were getting through to him. Teddy had never been the best with expressing himself when it came to matters of the heart but found he really wanted to try for James. He watched as James let out a long, slow breath, appearing to gather his courage. The notion felt almost foreign to Teddy, having a little trouble squaring it with who he thought he knew James to be, which just hammered home that James may also feel slightly insecure with their new status as lovers. Teddy wanted to kiss the anxiety away. He recognized this desire as the role James usually fulfilled for _him_ when he was the one floundering. A streak of gratefulness suddenly filled him, and he willed his features to soften slightly as he took a step closer towards James, closing the gap and running his fingers through the other man’s hair before letting it rest against his cheek.

“So you said each color has a frequency, right?” James’ voice was little more than a whisper, but Teddy heard the question as though it was projected at max volume. He nodded. 

“So what about black and white? Or grey?”

Teddy thought for a moment, dropping his hand before responding, “Did you know that there are over 80 types of synesthesia?”

James' eyes widened, “Really? The book didn’t say that - only that there are many types and they didn’t really know what causes it. To be honest I think I would like to study more about the science of it. It’s really fascinating stuff actually. Sometimes Muggles really do explore ideas that best us.”

Teddy nodded, “Sometimes I think wizards are too preoccupied working out how to stop curses and hexes to study basic human biology. As all the Medi-Witches and Wizards I have visited over the years have proven, the majority don’t know much if it doesn’t have to do with magic. And even then, most of the time, it’s a series of ‘best guesses’.” Teddy made air quotes to emphasize his point. Seeing his hands further reminded him of the mystery of their permanently static state. An aspect of himself he wasn't sure James even knew about.

“But then that’s how I know there are over 80 kinds - because I happen to have a form that hasn’t been studied much by anyone - wizards or Muggles alike. And the healers have never been able to help decipher anything in any useful way.”

James nodded, encouraging Teddy to go on.

“So, for me, like I mentioned before, each color and shape has a sound. It’s own vibration, frequency, or a wave if you will, ranging from high sound waves at the top of the rainbow to lower, slower sound waves at the bottom. When a hue hits my field of vision, my brain just interprets it - to be honest I’m not really completely sure how it works either. But it’s very seamless and unconscious. Like breathing, it’s not something I have to actively think about.”

The thought crossed Teddy’s mind that he had gotten slightly better at explaining this over the years, despite how little he’d actually done it. Perhaps the conversation with James the other night had been good practice. In any event it was worlds away from when he had first expressed his unique perceptual phenomenon to his Gran, who had looked at him like he’d lost his mind before marching him off to the first of many Medi-Witches and Mind-Healers. There are days when Teddy wondered what his life would have been like had he never declared ‘green sounds like my insides’ when he was six. It was a little startling to find that he actually wanted to share this with James and that if he were to declare the same sentiment now, James might not find it so odd.

“But it almost gets weirder when it comes to black and white,” Teddy started walking again, bumping his shoulder against James to reassure himself that the man was solid beside him before launching into the explanation, “Black. Well, black is silent. I think that’s because all the colors are in black. Sometimes, if I listen really close, black almost sounds like whispers. Black is quiet, weirdly calming, and sometimes oddly warm - as if it absorbs every note and doesn’t let them back out.”

“And that’s good?”

Teddy nodded. “Loads better than white.”

James shot him a quizzical look that encouraged him to continue.

“White- white is the absolute worst. White is like…” his voice trailed off for a second as he collected up his thoughts to explain the sounds and frequencies in his head when it came to white, “Okay, imagine a really bad headache or nails on a chalkboard or static noise from an old TV set - if your Grandpa has ever shown you one. White is the reflection of all the colors so it’s like a chaotic symphony, or something that causes anxiety. It’s not unbearable or anything, but I have always wanted to cover up white, erase it with color because that’s so much more soothing. If that makes sense?”

James nodded slowly and thoughtfully before replying, “Oh Teddy, I’m so sorry!”

Bewilderment took hold in Teddy’s stomach. That certainly wasn’t the reaction he was anticipating. “-What?”

“Your room- at your Grans’. That must have been awful.”

Teddy let out a dry laugh in response. His room growing up hadn’t been fun, that was for sure - all the white and black that dominated the majority of his Gran’s house. Sometimes, in his more contemplative moments, Teddy wondered how his mother had been able to stand it growing up. But then he’d never had any proof either of his parents were synesthetes anymore than he did that his Gran’s house had always been predominantly black and white- he wouldn’t have been surprised to find the lack of color was born out of her grief. 

“It’s okay, I survived.”

“Alright, but still.”

They took a few more steps down the path. Teddy listened to the leaves crunch beneath their feet.

“So, what about grey?”

“Grey is actually pretty soothing. It has a nice, neutral tone.”

“Oh,” James slipped his hands into his pockets. “I wish I could see this all for myself.” The thought was both endearing and dangerous, and Teddy told him so. “How so?”

“Well it’s endearing because, no one else that I can remember has ever been so accepting of this weird part of me. Oh sure, Troy’s been jealous and Ruby recognized my talents that came with it, but for the most part whenever I have told anyone they’ve marched me right off to the nearest Healer or something. When you validate it like this, it feels too good honestly.”

“And dangerous?”

“Dangerous because if you keep talking like that I can’t be responsible for what comes next.”

“Mmmm,” James hummed, “and if I said I wanted whatever that is?”

Teddy laughed, “And what do you think that is?”

“Other than a long, happy life with you?” James said playfully before Teddy suddenly found himself pulled around and forcefully pushed towards an old oak tree, solid against his back, as James’ lips kissed him passionately. He felt his knees buckle under him for a moment before he found his footing and kissed back eagerly while the early afternoon sun beat down on them in between the branches. Teddy wrapped his arms around James’ shoulders and pulled him closer.

Minutes passed before James pulled away, smile a brilliant gold, as the world slowly righted itself. It was then Teddy noticed James’ focus had switched to a spot over his shoulder, child-like excitement in his eyes. Teddy turned to look at what James was distracted by. 

The WCP Quidditch Stadium stood tall in the field behind them. Teddy smiled as James grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the pitch like a magnet, making a beeline for the stands and using his free hand to pull out his phone to capture his surroundings. Teddy had been planning to take James here, but it appeared that they were closer than he’d thought. James looked like all his birthdays had come at once. 

Teddy laughed. “Pictures. I should have guessed.”

“This is a momentous moment, Teddy - did you know this was here? Dumb question, of course you did. Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“What - I can’t surprise my boyfriend?” the word slipped out before Teddy had a chance to censor himself, but James didn’t seem to mind. Instead he only pulled Teddy that much faster, as if now fueled by something more than the famous arena in front of them. 

The American National Quidditch Stadium wasn’t always in WCP or even in New York - it migrated throughout New England allowing different states to host the American Quidditch Cup - the yearly final tournament between the different American Quidditch Teams. This year was New York’s turn to host, but since it overlapped with a Quidditch World Cup year the player’s schedules had to be altered slightly to accommodate. Teddy idly wondered if James would be around in the Spring when the final battle for America’s Cup would play out here - if he was, Teddy would have to see if he could get tickets. The seats probably wouldn’t be as good as Harry could manage, but he had a few connections and strings to tap of his own. 

Blinking back to the present, Teddy found himself pulled into a selfie under the red and blue stadium sign that proudly proclaimed ‘American National Quidditch Stadium’ and just below the slogan: ‘A game above all. Above all a game.’ The first ‘game’ in red, the second in blue, the rest of the letters in white. It was iconic, and if the rate James was snapping pictures was any indication, it was a bit of a momentous occasion.

“Happy?” Teddy asked, even though he knew the answer. James’ excitement was infectious.

“How could I not be?” The awe was evident in his tone. “This is- like, it’s been a dream of mine to see all the stadiums world-wide, and this one is so iconic on this side of the globe. Especially because it moves and has hosted all the American teams at least once. This is so _cool."_

Teddy allowed himself to bask in James’ happiness as they inspected the stadium together. Various statues of players filled the courtyards near the entrance to each of the stands, and different team banners hung down the sides. James could easily identify each and every one of them. All while he endlessly chatted Teddy’s ear off with facts about this team or that player, filling the silence with facts and statistics and stories. Teddy listened to his constant rambling but retained little, far too distracted by the light show that was an excited James Potter, allowing the sweet sound of James' voice to wash over him. His unbridled excitement left Teddy feeling recharged somehow. It was a new feeling and he hoped it would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James is such a lovable Quidditch geek :D anyone else want a ticket the America’s Cup Quidditch finals? 
> 
> The entrance to and story of WCP was based on a real historical NYC Central Park landmark - the historical facts of which can be found here: https://www.centralparknyc.org/attractions/ramble-stone-arch
> 
> All of your Comments and Kudos are all wildly appreciated and seeing them is truly my favorite moments of the day. Keep them coming and biggest thank yous to everyone who has already left them - you guys are absolutely amazing!
> 
> For more, come hang out - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	11. Olive Branch

**Chapter 11 - Olive Branch**

In all of the years Teddy had known James, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen him truly upset. Typically, in the Potter sibling lineup, Albus was the one who was prone to outbursts and mood swings, while Lily tended to have a flair for dramatics. It was James who took most things with a smile and let negative comments roll off him like water off a duck’s back. It was because of this that Teddy knew something was seriously wrong when, two nights after their WCP adventure, James Apparated directly into Teddy’s living room with a scowl on his face and fire in his eyes. Instantly Teddy knew that their plans to meet his friends for trivia that night were decidedly off. 

“What’s wrong?” Teddy asked, immediately concerned. He was in the middle of reviewing several of his assistant applications for the millionth time - after a long day of portrait sessions he felt it imperative to start calling potential applicants soon. But he’d yet to see many CVs come through that he was crazy about. As James continually reminded him, they didn’t have to be perfect, just good enough to bring in for an interview before Jason Fischer appeared at his studio door. But Teddy was mentally having a hard time giving control of his branding to someone who was just coming in for a paycheck. He sighed as he pocketed his phone, turning back to James who was turning red in the face.

“We are gonna have to tell my dad!” James blurted out.

“W-what?”

James didn’t answer right away. Instead he simply turned his phone around and showed Teddy the screen which was open to open to the Wizard World Network homepage. The main headline proclaimed “Exclusive: Madison Graves REJECTED - James Potter GAY?” and the sub-header directly below continued: Political Princess Madison Graves had her advances rejected by James Potter, son of famed war hero Harry Potter, informing us: ‘He totally plays for the other team.’

A motion picture, not the muggle kind but the new digital version of Wizarding photos, beneath the headline showed James bending backwards to avoid Madison as she moved in to kiss him. At least that’s what it looked like to Teddy, as James' hand had clearly pushed her off. It was certainly not James’ finest moment, Teddy thought. With discomfort clearly showing on his face, he could easily be seen rejecting her advances - it was obvious James hadn't been aware he was being filmed. 

Teddy struggled to lift his gaze from the phone screen back to James’ face. “Well, that certainly isn’t-” he began but didn’t get far.

“I- she- see, I, my sexuality, all that stuff, just- I’ve been covering it up forever - I know it’s 2025 or whatever and people say they don’t care, but you know how old fashioned the Wizarding World is. Plus how would it look in a Quidditch locker room, for instance, if I was checking out other guys’ arses or it was implied that I was and whatnot? But like, this- this is entirely different.”

“You- you could play it off,” Teddy offered gently and slightly sadly as James collapsed beside him. “You could tell people it was a misunderstanding or-”

“TEDDY! Now that the cat’s outta the bag, I am not going to lie about it! But my dad is going to be royally pissed. Not about my sexuality, I don’t think. I mean he took Al being bi pretty well. Though Al might just be Scorpius-sexual on the male front - I think he’s secretly waiting for him and Rose to break it off so he can move in, if you know what I mean? But for me, when it comes to me-” James’ breathing was heavy. Teddy could hear it as the air moved in and out of James’ lungs. He sounded like he was trying not to cry.

“He’s going to be mad I didn’t tell him,” James' voice was lowered and threatened to crack. “He’s going to be unhappy I hid it, I think. They all will. And then there’s the fact that, well…” he gestured vaguely between the two of them.

Teddy wrapped an arm around James’ back and pulled him closer in what he hoped was an encouraging manner. He didn’t often have to comfort others, but he wanted to offer what he could, rubbing his hand up and down James’ back. A few moments passed by while James struggled to collect himself. Teddy didn’t press him to talk, so he was surprised when the next words filled the room.

“Are we official, Teddy?” 

“Official?”

James swallowed, “Official. An item. Boyfriends, lovers, partners, an exclusive pair or whatever other label people like to put on it these days? I know it’s all kinda sudden and I was trying not to rush things, but in light of new developments-” he waved his hand towards his phone, “it’s a question I would like an answer to. Especially before I officially come out to my dad and the rest of the fam. Because, honestly, in for a knut and all that. But if you need more time or don’t feel the same, tell me now. I am a big boy and I can handle it, and I don’t want to just tell people if it’s just a passing thing or-”

Teddy held up his hand and James fell silent. There was a deafening roar in his ears, and he tried to collect his thoughts around the vibration; however, all he could come up with was bewilderment.

“I thought we were something,” Teddy began, cautiously, “You have me, if that's what you want, because I love you. And if you want me there when you talk to your parents, we’ll make that happen too. Countries, borders, oceans - they aren’t barriers for me. James, if you want this to be official even half as much as I do, then we will be.”

A shadow crossed James’ face as he stared back at Teddy seemingly lost for words. Teddy moved in closer, wrapping his arms around the other man who immediately melted into the embrace. Teddy felt his heart shatter a little as James choked back a sob against his chest.

“I want that, more than anything. Sometimes, some days, more than I can bear. I want to call you my boyfriend.”

“Then you will,” Teddy sealed the affirmation with a kiss. Pulling away he looked James in the eyes, “And as your boyfriend, we will take this one step at a time. Starting with telling your family.”

James seemed to regain control and pulled himself up from Teddy’s warm embrace. He grimaced a little, pain etched into the lines on his forehead, but his eyes looked relieved as he tried to offer Teddy a warm, determined smile. He reached for the floo powder.

“Wait - what are you doing?” Teddy asked incredulously, a bit shocked that James' first impulse was to deal with his family so soon after the explosion of emotion that Teddy had just witnessed. 

“Well, no time like the present, huh? We have to tell my family - maybe just Al and Lily first. Dad is going to be the hardest. He'll be so upset if he has to hear it from them or my mum or-”

“Let’s think about this a moment,” Teddy put on his calmest voice in the face of James’ poorly concealed panic, “I realize you’re upset, but this is no time to do something rash. Do you wanna talk about this first or, maybe, you should portkey home? Discuss it all in person?”

“No time for that, Teddy. Well maybe not time, per se, but can't you see? I should be the one deciding how my family learns about this. This is so frustrating! My control, it was all taken out of my hands! The one thing I should have the right to do in my own time..”

Teddy frowned in understanding. Of course James would feel trapped - suddenly an aspect of his world had been thrust into the spotlight after years of successfully keeping it hidden. Teddy would feel the same if the world found out about his synesthesia before he was ready to share it. It was something he kept quiet and private because he didn’t want to talk about it - even more so than his sexuality. Clearly his Gran was aware of it, he suspected Hermione might have a clue as well and, of course, James and Troy knew all about it. By and large though, the people in his world who mattered figured it out, and those who didn't, well, they didn't need to know as far as he was concerned. He tried to imagine what it might feel like to have that choice ripped from his fingers, pulled out by a society who had no right but didn’t care and would anyway. Because he was the son of two dead war heroes, in England at least, and the godson of one Harry Potter, a fact he tried not to dwell on too often. 

The whole situation stung like acid on his skin and left a dull roar in his ears. The look on James’ face radiated anger from every pore, the shapes on his face like loud, harsh waves that sounded distantly like metal.

“I can’t imagine,” Teddy fought to keep his own emotions under control, “but this is important. You need to consider the method of communication and what you’ll address. I don’t think Harry will take it so badly as all that, but it’s not him who I am concerned about.”

“Who are you concerned about?” 

‘YOU!’ he wanted to shout, but James looked so lost that Teddy bit down on his tongue. He felt sure his features must portray his bewilderment as he slowly opened his mouth, offering a tightly controlled but equally heartfelt, “You. My number one concern is  _ you _ .”

James seemed to soften a bit as he slumped to the floor, the wind knocked out of him, gumption draining from his face. Slowly his features relaxed into something more recognizably normal to Teddy. It was both heartening and heart wrenching all at once.

“It’s just - I haven’t written a thing yet, you know? My big break article is still in development. And everyone already thinks I’m a fool for quitting Quidditch and the team. Oh, no one really articulates it in the family, but the media, fans, former teammates, hell even my old quidditch captain and coach keep telling me that I’m wasting my talents and I should go back to playing. But I just really don’t want to,” James shook his head into his hands, “Sure, I loved aspects of playing, and I will always enjoy flying and working out and running and stuff, but it wasn’t really, ern, fulfilling? Plus I was hiding a huge part of my life. I guess I thought if I could pursue journalism my life would become what I wanted it to be - maybe even more adult - but instead I feel like a failure. Or like I keep failing. Adding this latest headline to the list just complicates my feelings all the more. But I’m not ashamed,” he looked up at Teddy, eyes lit crimson with a sudden determination, “not of us. Not of this. I didn’t dare to hope this would happen when I came to New York, but this- you- you have been the best part in all this. The best thing in my life.”

Teddy felt like he couldn’t breathe for a moment; his chest was tight and his fingers tingled. He took in the unexpected rant, unsure how to reassure James he would be okay when every word impressed upon him so strongly. James was the one who was good with words after all. So he simply offered his hand, which James grabbed tightly, before leaning their shoulders together. “C’mon,” Teddy said in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, “let’s get some tea and discuss a game plan.”

He was rewarded with a small smile as James pressed his phone into Teddy’s hands. The act of trust was not lost on him as they sat in relatively comfortable silence for a bit, James squeezing his hand tightly. It was not the way Teddy imagined they would establish the permanency of their relationship, but it felt like a landmark moment all the same. It warmed him from the inside out, feeling eerily similar to a green frequency. 

* * *

Two hours later, the boys found themselves in front of the fireplace. They had opted to fire call Albus and Lily individually first. The conversations had gone as well as they could have. Lily, for her part, had been ecstatic. “See, Teddy!” she’d cried, “I  _ TOLD _ you that I saw you becoming a member of the family ages ago!” Her smile had radiated through the fireplace, slightly smug in her exclamations. “I am so happy for you both - just be sure to invite me to the wedding first,” her parting reply had hung in the air for a few moments before both James and Teddy laughed, clearing the tension some and making it easier to call Al.

Al, for his part, had been much calmer upon hearing the news of their newly formed relationship. It was the perceived secrecy and delivery of the news that angered him. “Why, of all places James, did I have to hear all about my brother’s sexuality from a bloody article?” he’d asked with some tiny measure of malice. James had tried to explain, but his voice did not hold its usual confidence. In this, it seemed, he was still lost in the dark recesses of his mind. Teddy had watched as James admirably pulled himself together and explained that things were far from ideal - he hadn’t been trying to hurt anyone. “Did you  _ really _ not know anyway?” James had asked, slightly exasperated at the end of his monologue.

Al’s laugh had sounded sharp. “I guess I just wish you’d felt like telling  _ me _ before someone told the WWN.”

In the end Al came around and offered his congratulations. “Get your arses home soon,” he’d called through the Floo as the connection closed. 

By the time James had settled things with his brother and sister, it was pushing 7pm - 11pm London time. The two boys stared at the fire, trepidation coloring James’ eyes. Teddy grabbed his hand and squeezed. 

“It went alright with Al and Lily, right? I think this will go well too. And I’ll be right here.” Teddy reassured before leaning forward to kiss James on the lips. “I think you’re extremely brave and, regardless of how this goes, I am proud of you.”

Light creeped into James’ eyes at the words and he shot Teddy a smile that, though clearly touched with worry, felt more genuine than any other he’d offered that night. He squeezed Teddy’s hand. “Thank you, now c’mon. Let’s get this over with so we can get some food.”

Teddy let out a small chuckle. “You and food,” he said, pulling James in for a quick hug before letting him go.

“Me and food. I totally feel like stress eating now that I’ve calmed down some. I’d go for a pint too but since I can’t -”

“Merlin, I’ve lived in America for too long,” Teddy snickered. “I hear ‘a pint’ and I think ice cream. We can always stop at a liquor store though. I’m not going to contribute to under-age drinking in the wild, but if you do it here I don’t mind so much.”

James gave a mock-pout. “Bloody American laws,” he groaned, “I am a full grown adult and well above age in the Wizarding World.”

“There is a long held debate about 17-years-old being a viable age to consider one an adult,” Teddy shot back. “I don’t think I was back then, but who knows?”

James gave him an odd look, “Teddy, you are one of the most responsible people I know. Were you ever a kid?”

Teddy playfully shoved his shoulder against James’. “Quit stalling,” he ordered, strategically avoiding the answer and filing away the complement for a rainy day.

“Yeah yeah,” James tossed some Floo powder into the hearth, “Grimmauld Place.” He spoke clearly as the flames sprang to life. Precious moments passed with palpable tension filling the air before-

“Albus! I swear if that’s you again I’ll-” Ginny’s face appeared in the flames, her hair falling around her like she had just pulled it out of a ponytail. She looked a little out of sorts for the late hour. “Oh, James! It’s you. Sorry, sorry. Your brother had called earlier looking for- well it’s not important. How are you? How’s New York? Think you could call your dear-old-mum every now and again?”

Teddy shot a quick glance at James out of the corner of his eye. Clearly Ginny hadn't seen the article yet, which in this case might be a good thing; however, James looked just as uncomfortable as ever. The movement must have caught Ginny’s eye.

“Hullo Teddy,” she said, “sorry for the harried hullo there, but you know how things are. How are you, dear?”

“We’re fine, mum,” James seemed to have found his voice. “Do you think you could call dad? There’s something, er, something we need to discuss.”

Teddy caught a look that he could only describe as concern crossed Ginny’s face. She ducked out of the flames with a “Sure, dear. He should be in the study...” Her voice trailing off as she walked away, but not before Teddy thought he could make out what sounded like a muffled, “Everything okay?” from the other end of the fireplace.

Teddy took advantage of the quiet moment. “You ready?” he asked James, placing his hand on top of James' slightly trembling one and offering a small squeeze.

James steeled his eyes and gave a determined nod but wouldn’t meet his gaze. In the back of Teddy’s mind he wondered if they were doomed, if James knew more about how this conversation was going to go than he was letting on, but things had gone so well with Al and Lily that he dismissed the thought. 

A few moments later and Harry’s head was floating in his fireplace. It wasn’t long before Ginny joined alongside.

“Hi Dad,” James said.

“James, Teddy,” Harry nodded to them both, “everything alright? Your mother said you had something to talk about?”

It was all business, or as close as Harry came to it. Teddy was suddenly reminded that Harry was a formidable Wizard in his own right. 

“Yeah,” James said slowly, “have, er - by any chance did either of you see the news today?”

Harry and Ginny turned to look at each other, Teddy thought you could see them mentally replaying back the day for anything unusual. Ginny seemed to gather her thoughts first.

“Al told us he’s put in a bid for a restaurant space for sale in Diagon Alley, but I don’t think that made national news, let alone international. I did see that Celestina Warbeck is releasing a new album, even though her last tour was her supposed farewell one. We all knew that was coming though, that woman will never stop performing, try though she might. And your Uncle Ron did let slip to your dad and I that Hermione is working on some new Magical Creatures legislation that she hopes will pass the Wizengamot before the end of the year. But I don’t think you called to talk about any of those things,” she said.

James shook his head, “No, I’m afraid not.”

Ginny made a move like she wanted to reach through the flames and comfort her son, but an international Floo connection had its limits. Teddy wondered if she would still feel that way when this was all over.

“What’s the matter, love?” she asked kindly.

James looked like he might cry again, but surprisingly his voice didn’t waver when he spoke. “There’s been an article,” he said, but then paused to back track. There was a beat or two of silence as he took a deep breath before stating, “I’m gay.”

It was not a question. The words rang with a surprising strength given how timidly James had been approaching the subject.

His words were met with silence that spanned an ocean, spreading through the Floo.

“There’s more,” James added after a few moments of quiet.

“More?” Harry’s voice already sounded overwhelmed.

“Yeah,” James shifted to cross his legs protectively, reluctantly reaching around to pull out his phone, opening the screen before turning it to show the fireplace.

“I don’t know if you can read that, but I made the WWN headlines,” James tried to play it off casually but Teddy could see he was anxious. “I refused some advances from Madison Graves and speculation came out, and it all doesn’t matter. Not really. I’ll handle that part, Dad. But now that the cat is out of the bag, so-to-speak, I knew I had to tell you both. And, while I am revealing rather earth-shattering news, I will add one more thing: Teddy and I are dating.”

Teddy let out an imperceptible sigh of relief at James’ hurried speech. He noticed Ginny’s eyes widen slightly, but both she and Harry remained silent as James put his phone down and covered Teddy’s hand with his, using the contact to ground him. 

All four of them seemed at a loss for what to say next, until-

“How long?” Harry asked.

James let out a laugh that sounded closer to a bark. “How long what, Dad? How long have I known I’m gay, or how long have I been hiding it, or-”

“How long have the two of you been together?” It was Ginny this time who asked.

Teddy and James exchanged quick glances. They had both considered how to address this question when discussing their game plan - Teddy felt it best to keep the answer vague yet as honest as possible, while James was inclined to avoid answering entirely. Eventually they had decided they would cross that bridge if they came to it, but now standing at its precipice, Teddy found the distance almost as insurmountable as James must have.

“It’s rather new,” Teddy found himself answering uncertainly at the same time James said, “We’re taking it one day at a time, Mum. Can we focus on the more important part?”

Ginny stared at James, who deadpanned back - equal looks of determination on their faces. Teddy almost wanted to laugh; there was no mistaking they were mother and son.

“Which is?” Harry asked. Teddy nearly jumped, the sudden outburst startling him. “Because I happen to think a relationship between my son and my godson is pretty bloody important.”

James let out a sigh, a mixture of frustration and shame coloring his expression. Teddy couldn’t help but reach over, drawing small circles on his back. “I have been outed without my permission or agreement. I have been a failure to you and Mum and I didn’t want to ever be in this position. I was hoping this would all come out in my own time and in my own way.”

“Things rarely, if ever, go how we plan them,” Harry’s advice was sage but his voice sounded guarded to Teddy’s ear, timber accompanied by a deep purple vibration. It didn’t seem to affect James in quite the same way though. He looked slightly relieved.

“Thanks, Dad,” he said.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Harry replied, “but you’ll always be my son, James. I had hoped for you, and your siblings, that I could give you the best life had to offer and you could avoid these pitfalls along the way but-”

“We will always love you,” Ginny interrupted, a wonderful warm and truthful blue vibration to her tone, “and I am very proud of you. I know this must have been hard to share. I won’t tell you it isn’t a shock, but it wasn’t wholly unexpected either.”

At that James shot her a look.

“What? It’s not like you ever introduced us to any girlfriends. And you and Teddy have always had a, er-, connection. I won’t judge you for your preferences. Either of you.” She turned to address Teddy, “I am a little more surprised at you on this one.”

Teddy raised his eyebrows and focused on keeping his hair from turning brown.

“Don’t misunderstand,” she continued, “I guess this is where I should extend a welcome to the family but under the circumstances…”

Teddy offered her the most reassuring smile he could, “It’s okay, Ginny. I understand. I think we’re both just relieved that you're not completely put off.”

“None of that, dear. Now, Harry-” she turned her attention to her husband, who was trying to hide some anger on his face. Unfortunately Teddy could feel the vibrations like a palpable sting. Luckily James seemed immune.

“Listen, Mum, Dad. I don’t expect you to be happy or approve or anything but I wanted you to find out from me - directly - and not from the headlines tomorrow. Plus, I mean, I know you took it fairly well when Al came out as bi, so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too upsetting.”

“At least with your brother he has hope of finding a witch,” came the scalding reply. The words were selfish and stung, Teddy was so taken aback that he didn’t even register which parent said it. 

“Yes, well,”—James' face dropped—“no witches for me. But that’s okay. I think that if this has taught me anything, it’s that I need to stop hiding who I am.”

Silence followed. Teddy started to count the beats in his head to gain some semblance of stability.

“I would hope you’d be happy for me.” James sounded miserable.

“Oh, James.” Ginny’s voice this time. “Of course we want you to be who you are. Family is family no matter what. We love you. To be honest, we love you both.”

The sentiment sounded a little hollow but it was nice to hear all the same.

“We do,” Harry cut in, “I know I am not always the best at, er- taking in unexpected news. But James, I do love you. You’re my oldest son. I will always love you.”

In that moment Teddy recalled the look on Harry’s face the day James was born. The awe and pride that had been in his eyes. He didn’t doubt the truth of the words - even if they weren’t delivered with a truthful blue vibration and instead clouded by pain and perhaps regret. But they were real sentiments and he wasn’t yelling, a fear which James had expressed privately to Teddy before they had even thought to call Lily, and so Teddy felt like they were making progress.

“You’re not mad?” James’ voice sounded small.

“No,” Harry said.

“Disappointed then?”

Harry shook his head, “I couldn’t be.”

“Then what?” James asked.

“It will take a little adjusting. But it would be hypocritical of me to tell you ‘no’, or make rash judgements here,” Harry made a small move as if to hug James through the fire but when he remembered their separation he pulled Ginny closer to his side instead. “Your mother and I just want you kids to be happy and healthy. That’s all we can ask.”

Ginny nodded in agreement.

“So, you’re okay with this?” James sounded like his voice might crack.

“Tell me more about this article,” Harry said, clearly avoiding the question. 

Teddy took this as his cue to move back slightly from the Floo as the conversation shifted from James to his so-called scandalous rejection of one Madison Graves. 

Due to Teddy’s demisexual nature, he often missed obvious cues of others checking him out in public settings. He tried to place himself in James’ shoes - how he might feel if Wizarding royalty came on to him and he didn’t want to entertain their advances. He couldn’t see how the situation would end well for him either, unless the advances were wanted he would have probably had the same reaction as James: to lean away and avoid the onslaught followed by an attempt to take things back to the decorum the situation prescribed. But James wasn’t Teddy, and he certainly hadn’t ever expressed being demisexual, leaving Teddy to puzzle out why James had had that reaction. James could have acted through it, he could have pulled it off and instead he pulled away. Teddy wondered why. Surely it couldn’t have been because of him? Could it?

"You need to get this resolved in a positive way,” Harry warned from the fireplace. Teddy watched as James gave a tight nod. “We can't afford to be in a feud with the Graves family.” 

“You want me to play nice with that bitch?!?”

“This is a larger issue than just you, James, so yes. I do. No question.”

The air felt tense. 

For all Teddy’s own notoriety, he knew he was a big fish in a relatively small pond, whereas James and Madison were poised prominently on the World Stage - or at least the Wizarding World’s - and everyone from all different walks of life wanted a window into their personal lives. It must be overwhelmingly suffocating, Teddy decided. The control really was wrestled away from James in a way Teddy would never have to worry about - it was taken from him long before this one incident. Previously James had felt the need to hide a crucial part of who he was in order to walk the world as the eldest son of Harry Potter, and that was extremely unfair. Unbalanced of Ginny and Harry too, Teddy realized, that their son felt so uncomfortable even sharing his secrets with them. Teddy spared a moment to wonder if James had other secrets he was hiding.

Teddy let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding as James and his parents said goodbye with the promise to discuss this all very soon. James managed a small wave before cutting off the Floo and leaving Teddy and him in the dim light of the living room.

“Well, that - least there wasn’t any yelling?” Teddy offered, unsure what to say. The vibrations coming off James were almost silent and he wasn’t completely sure how to approach. He almost jumped when he felt James’ arm slink around his waist, pulling him close before burying his face in Teddy’s shoulder. Teddy’s hand immediately flew up to James’ hair, holding him close.

“Hey, hey,” he hushed, “it’s okay.”

“No, no,” James heaved into his shoulder, “but it will be.”

Teddy pulled James up for a warm kiss. He poured all his love and heart into it in the hopes it would somehow transfer magically into James’ soul. After a long moment, he pulled back to inspect James. James' eyes remained closed and his eyelashes fluttered against his slightly flushed cheeks. 

James’ world might be falling apart but Teddy treasured the small moment of peace he saw before him as he held his boyfriend close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all to you amazing Readers, Subscribers, Commenters and Kudos-givers - you all make my life! I love hearing from you guys :D
> 
> Want more? Find me on tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	12. Tickled Pink

**Chapter 12 - Tickled Pink** ****

The witch sitting in front of Teddy had hot pink hair. It was long and hung down past her mid-back, and for once in his life Teddy wasn’t tempted to change his to match. On the contrary, he wanted to toss her out on her ear. Nothing she was saying was making any sense and her white robes were not helping matters, the noise radiating from them loud in his ears. When she spoke her hair would swing behind her which reminded him vaguely of pictures of his mum, which in turn reminded him of Ginny, whom he’d heard from lots in the last 48 hours as the whole James scandal blew up and then blew over the entire Wizarding World. It wouldn’t be so torturous if Ginny wasn’t growing on Teddy in the strangest way, somewhere between a surrogate mum and a guilty guardian who was still trying to see beyond her own worldview to offer what help she could.

The witch, Jazmin, Teddy recalled her name, was eagerly trying to tell Teddy all about her experience with WizNet and MajGram and social platforms, but her voice was set at such an annoying pitch Teddy found it hard to pay attention, instead picking up every other word. It had been a long day, a long week if Teddy was really being honest, and all he wanted was for someone competent and capable to walk through his door. He wasn’t having much luck and had stopped holding his breath long ago.

“Thank you,” Teddy said, holding out his hand to shake hers, “I will be in touch if we decide to move forward.”

“Oh but I had a few questions-” the girl got out, but she took one look at Teddy's face and stopped. He wasn’t feeling like entertaining anything else that she had to say, and it looked like she took the hint at least, leaving with a soft goodbye.

The door shut behind her, and Teddy rested his head on his desk, his hair shifting from strawberry blonde to turquoise almost unconsciously. He didn’t want to lose hope but he’d already cleared out his schedule to meet with Jason Fischer next Thursday. The office of Mr. Fischer was not an easy one to work with and as the WizNet founder’s secretary had reminded him when they officially planned the meeting via Floo, “Jason is a busy man, Mr. Lupin. He will be in the city next week and has some time on Thursday. That will work, yes.” It was not a question. Teddy had conceded, clearing out his schedule to accommodate and, with the goal to have someone brought on board in preparation for the meeting, he urgently started calling in applicants to interview. So far he’d met with four, all of whom had left much to be desired. But he wasn’t going to settle for just anyone who walked through his door. He sighed and checked the clock - his fifth was due to come in about 10 minutes’ time. 

James warned him that he was being too picky, reminding him he could always bring someone on just to get him started, but Teddy liked the idea of hiring for the long term and building up something resembling a team. He had been holding out the remainder of his hope for the couple of applicants that were set to stop by this afternoon, but after the abysmal energy he’d gotten off them he wasn’t sure how much longer he could continue to endure the experience. 

Teddy sighed and walked to the back to make himself some tea. He was heating up the kettle when a voice called through the studio, “Hello?”

“Just a moment. Please have a seat,” Teddy called out, hastily casting a warming charm on his tea instead and immediately regretting it after taking a sip - the water now metallic tasting. He poured it all down the drain, abandoning the mug in the sink like it had offended him. The sight mocked Teddy as he headed back up towards the door - it wasn’t the mug’s fault his magic got along with water about as well as oil did. Deep in thought, he barely remembered to switch his hair back to strawberry blond before walking out to the front office.

A young witch in a fashionable leather jacket and long olive skirt sat near his desk. Her black hair was pinned back in a high bun, giving her angular face and high cheekbones, which were punctuated beautifully with highlighter, the illusion of even more prominence. Her mouth was narrow but her pink lips were full and stood out against her beige skin tone. Beautiful amber brown eyes darted around the room with intensity. 

“Can I help you?” Teddy asked.

“Hi,” her voice was slightly melodic, “My name is Azumi Avery, and I’m here to meet with Teddy Lupin? I have an interview with him.”

“You’re in the right place,” Teddy offered dryly but he put on a smile and held out his hand to shake, “I’m Teddy, welcome to my studio.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Good to meet you too,” Teddy was sincere but slightly reserved as he moved to sit behind his desk, pulling up her CV on his computer, “Let’s not stand on ceremony, shall we? Just tell me about yourself and why you think you’re the right fit for the job.”

“Well, as I mentioned, my name is Azumi, but my friends usually call me Az. Or Mimi - depending on who you ask,” she laughed a little at that, her smile a soft daffodil. Teddy found her endearing and wondered if Az’s features being only a few shades off from James’ golden yellow was the reason or if it was merely a coincidence. He pulled himself back from going down that psycho-analytic rabbit hole as Azumi continued her introduction.

“I am looking for an opportunity to build my resume with some measurable social media experience for a client beyond myself - I’m somewhat of an influencer on MajGram. I just crossed thirty-nine thousand followers,” she smiled proudly at this, but it didn’t feel as though she was bragging. “I have really enjoyed cultivating my audience and curating my content, and I would like to bring my expertise to your studio.”

“What do you curate?”

“My content consists of blending Wizarding World’s fashion trends with No-Maj styles. It's been a fairly lucrative endeavor for a rather niche market, especially since many wizards fear getting too close to anything No-Maj, so it keeps me quite busy, hence my looking for only part-time work. And from what I have seen of your artistry, I wager you like to push the boundaries of the traditional and eclectic as well. I see a vision for your page, and I think we would be a good match to help each other out.”

“Do you now?” Teddy asked, not unkindly. If Azumi was working subversively to blend wizard and No-Maj culture, there was something to explore there. “What vision do you see for my page and my work?”

“Well,” Azumi pushed herself up closer to the edge of her chair and crossed her right leg over her left, the fabric of her long, olive green skirt parting to reveal black combat boots underneath. “I think we can capitalize on your modern take on the traditional. That would cross generational gaps as well and help to build your clientele. We can showcase your process and progress as you create pieces, giving your audience a behind the scenes peek, if you will. Assuming that is something you’re comfortable with. Obviously we’re not going to give away all your secrets, of course, but I do believe it would do wonders towards creating your persona on MajGram.”

She said this all very excitedly, her hands becoming more and more animated as she talked. 

“And if I said I wasn’t comfortable?”

“Well, you’re the boss,” Azumi said with a shrug, “it’s my job to ensure the content that is put out there fits your brand and image. You get final say.”

Teddy paused for a moment to parse her words. It was a good answer. His earlier interviewees would have sunk themselves with that question. “Can you show me your account?”

“Sure,” Azumi smiled and pulled out her phone. With a well-practiced series of swipes across the screen, she turned the device around to show Teddy her MajGram. Sure enough she had 39.2k followers displayed on the top followed by a collage of colorful imagery showcasing various wizarding street style. It all made Teddy feel very unfashionable and underdressed which, he supposed, was a good thing. Teddy understood how she had come to be an influencer, he felt the beginnings of inspiration from her content. Azumi’s account bled with passion and a desire to elevate the aspirations of the masses. 

“Do you mind?” he asked, reaching for her phone.

“Be my guest,” she smiled as he took her phone in hand and started scrolling, eyes glancing over the screen, skimming her content. It all looked very professional and highly edited but not inauthentic. He decided he liked it.

“How many hours a week are you looking for?” he asked, gazing up from the screen and handing her mobile back.

“Whatever it takes to get you to where you want to be. I don’t have a number, per se, but certainly not over 24 or 25 hours.”

“And if I could only offer, say, 16-hours a week? You’re open to that?”

“This is not solely about the money, Mr. Lupin. I am doing this to build up my resume and my personal brand, add some professional experience, and gain some knowledge. Frankly, Mr. Lupin, my skill-set is such that I think a traditional internship or work-study wouldn’t be a beneficial use of my time. Honestly, I don’t see getting coffee or being a glorified secretary as valid training in what I want to be doing. Not that I won’t do those things, but they need to be wrapped up in some actual experience. I know I am young and that can be used to my advantage - I am a wizarding-digital-native, who speaks that language fluently and has some experience in building a brand besides. I am not so arrogant to assume I know everything, but I am willing to learn, work hard, and set you up for success should you bring me on board,” Azumi’s words carried passion and heart, and Teddy found himself drawn in. 

“What year did you graduate Ilvermorny again?”

“2019.”

Teddy was tempted to ask her which house she was and how she felt about the cultural appropriation that some modern-day wizards spouted on about when discussing if they should continue to divide the student population by sorting but decided against it. He supposed those questions could wait for if he brought Azumi on. Instead he stood up, “Would you like a tour of the studio?”

Azumi’s smile took up her whole face and rang out with an eager yellow-orange vibration.

* * *

“I think,” Teddy said around the last bites of his deli sandwich, “I found my new assistant.” 

Both Troy and James stared at him at this announcement. Troy had popped by Teddy’s studio with two six-packs of beer minutes after he’d dismissed Azumi after letting her know he would be in touch. He’d already received a thank you message from her in his OwlMail by the time Troy had popped his head in. 

It was typical for Troy to pop in around once or twice a month without notice, especially on nights when Jennifer had to work late. He would show up with libations of some sort in tow to soften the intrusive blow, (a running joke between them, it wasn’t as if he was unwelcome) and Teddy always enjoyed the various experimental flavors Troy always magically seemed to find. This week’s flavor had been a Strawberry-hibiscus brew of which all three boys were currently working on their second bottle of in Teddy’s living room. They had ordered takeaway in from the deli, Troy absolutely adamant that James had to try a Russian sandwich and a black and white cookie for dessert. “My treat, boys!” Troy had boasted when he ordered the food, “I won’t hear of anything else.”

“Who is it?” James asked, “Is it that Jazmin girl? Her resume seemed interesting, or at least a good match-”

“Ugh no. She was terrible. But the girl after her, Azumi Avery - I really think we are a good match. I’m thinking I’ll extend the offer to her.”

“I didn’t know you were hiring an assistant, Teddy,” Troy looked slightly concerned but quickly covered it up with a smile, “business that big these days?” he teased, elbowing Teddy in the side.

“No more than normal,” Teddy began slowly, ignoring James’ slightly malevolent green look of jealousy at Troy’s playful gesture. Though he could have been imagining it as it passed quickly. “I just have an important project I am going to be taking on. That combined with James’ insistence that I build up my social media presence, and voila- Teddy hires an assistant.” 

“Important project? No more details than that?” Troy asked in mock-hurt before turning to James, “Do you know about this mysterious project?”

James’ grinned, “Yeah, I do. But I don’t think it’s my news to share. I know all about what it’s like to have your secrets spilled behind your back without permission.”

Troy’s face softened some, “Yeah, I saw that headline this week. My man, what happened? How are you mixed up with Ms. Madison Graves anyway?”

“Are we talking about my recent headline now or Teddy’s project?” James asked brightly.

“Both!” Troy exclaimed, “Well you need to fill me in on both anyway.”

“I’ll start,” Teddy felt a little like he had to come to his boyfriend’s rescue. “I was asked to help create some art for WizNet by Jason Fischer’s team. You know how they are celebrating their 20th anniversary next year? They want a commemorative piece that they can use for upcoming promotions and such. I am meeting with Mr. Fischer while he’s in the city next week. I wanted to have an assistant in place before then.”

Troy’s eyes widened as Teddy spoke, “Oh  _ Merlin’s beard _ , Teddy - that’s a big deal!”

Teddy threw his head back and laughed in what he hoped wasn't a hysterical manner, “Oh man Troy, I wouldn’t even call that the biggest news of the week.”

“No?” Troy’s voice rang with surprise, “What else has happened?”

Teddy shot James a pointed look, who gave him an encouraging smile. Still Teddy hesitated a moment before replying. James had already had this announcement ripped out of his control once this week. However, Troy was his best friend and as close to family as he was going to get aside from his Gran - the Weasley-Potter horde notwithstanding, and they all probably knew by now anyway. So he supposed it was his turn to divulge his newly altered relationship status. 

He took a sip of his beer. He knew Troy wouldn’t take the news badly, but Teddy thought he might be upset not hearing about it right away. He suddenly felt very far away from James, who was sitting across the table from him. He passed the bottle to his right hand and offered his left hand towards James, watching Troy’s eyes follow the movement. Teddy didn’t wait for James' hand to cover his own before he opened his mouth, “James and I are dating.”

Troy looked between them as a bright rose colored smile lit up his face, “Like boyfriend dating or casual?”

“Like legit, most of the family knows, official. I’d say WizNet official, but they haven’t run that headline yet,” it was James who answered but Teddy who blushed.

“Well congratulations! If I’d had known - to hell with Beer, I would have brought champagne. Or Hypnoticgin. Anything more substantial to mark the occasion, that is. I am really happy for you both. Jennifer will be too, she really liked you, James,” there was a small pause, before, “I  _ can _ tell her, right?”

Teddy laughed, “Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything else. Though, er, maybe hold on the champagne? For now?”

Troy shot him a funny look before exclaiming, “Excellent!” He held up his half-empty beer bottle and continued, “‘You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.’ Cheers!” 

Three beer bottles clinked.

“Car?” James asked with a funny smile.

“Lewis Carroll?” Teddy guessed. He wasn’t sure, sometimes Troy pulled quotes from odd places. Teddy never knew how he remembered them all.

“Oscar Wilde,” Troy corrected, “Felt it was appropriate for you.”

Teddy was surprised at the quote from the No-Maj author, at least Lewis Carrol was a wizard - even if he did market his works to No-Maj children - but he didn’t let on. Instead he smiled and squeezed James’ hand, “Very much.”

“Speaking of celebrations,” Troy continued, “Mom asked me if you were joining us for Thanksgiving this year. I told her I’d check with you. Of course you’re welcome to come too James - there’s always room for one more.”

“That’s what happens when your parents consistently host over fifty people,” Teddy said sarcastically, though he knew Troy would know he was teasing. “And I have come every year since I moved to New York - did you think I would miss this year? Though I still find it rather ironic that wizards celebrate a Muggle holiday.” He took a sip of his beer.

“Hey! It’s an American holiday - not No-Maj or wizard. Wizards were pilgrims too! My great great great - however many greats back - Grandpa was one. How do you think my family became one of the four oldest wand markers in America? We’ve earned the right to celebrate!” Troy said with an impassioned air before quickly calming back down. “But, really, you know Mom will be thrilled when she sees you bringing ‘someone special’. She’s been asking for years when you’ll meet the right one and settle down. Dad will have to just get over the whole same-gender thing, but I think he’ll be happy for you too,” He nodded to the two boys, eyes alight with approval.

Teddy laughed. “Yeah, your mum is worse than you are,” he teased, deliberately ignoring the part about Troy’s dad.

“Hey!” Troy’s hands flew up, “we only wanted to see you happy. Though, if you don’t want to come this year I’d understand.” He turned to James, “I’m related to the Graves.”

James eyebrows shot up. “And you didn’t tell me, Teddy?”

Troy shook his head, “Teddy’s never met them but I thought I’d give you fair warning since they do have a standing invitation. Aunt Charlotte is my dad's middle sister - he’s the oldest of four - she’s the second youngest. But to be honest, I highly doubt they will even show up - they haven’t in about 10 years,” he leaned in towards James, “Do you want to tell me what really happened with Madison?”

“Teddy happened,” James replied. It took a moment for Teddy to realize James was blushing. 

“Care to elaborate?”

“She made an advance. I’m with Teddy and so, as the article said, I rejected her advance,” James said with a cavalier air, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. His green eyes were locked with Teddy’s as if to stake his claim before continuing. “Someone captured it all and decided it was worthy of a headline.”

Troy nodded, “That sucks, man.”

“You have no idea,” James said, running his fingers through his hair in an exasperated manner before looking back up. “What else do you already know?”

“Besides the headline? Not a ton to be honest. I know you were making Quidditch waves thanks to Teddy here, but then he also told me he wasn’t surprised when you quit. And I know from trivia night you were working on a journalistic endeavor which must not be completed yet - unless you’re sticking around for this one here?” Troy shoved his elbow against Teddy’s side, “and while I know he’s a great guy and all…” his teasing tone caused all three men to laugh.

“Teddy is the best,” James supplied wholeheartedly, causing Teddy’s stomach to do a funny flip, “but you're also correct in your assertion that I haven’t finished my article yet. But honestly this story has gotten huge - and the mess with Madison is only a small part of it all.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone looking at the two of them eagerly, “Can you two keep a secret?” 

Teddy and Troy exchanged a quick look before nodding. 

James unlocked his phone and turned the screen around. A video showed two figures on a subway platform, bodies pressed together before drifting apart as the woman boarded the train. The camera continued to roll as the man turned and the camera caught a shot of his face, recognition dawning in Teddy’s brain.

“Is that President Quahog?” Troy’s voice sounded as surprised as Teddy felt.

“Yeah,” James turned off his phone and placed it upside down on the table.

“What was he doing at the subway station?” Troy asked.

“And who is the girl?” Teddy did not recognize her.

“The girl is a No-Maj, and according to my research her name is Shannon Ridgewilde.”

“Shannon?” Troy made an odd face.

Teddy rolled his eyes, “More importantly, what is she doing with President Quahog?”

“Other than something completely illegal? They’re having an affair, aren't they?” Troy asked, looking at James for confirmation.

James nodded, “It appears that they are. I almost have all the evidence I need to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt too. And it’s not just with her, apparently the President has been sleeping with No-Majs all over the city and erasing their memories to cover his tracks. That’s in clear violation of Rappaport’s, which is the whole reason the Quibbler sent me to do this story in the first place. There are apparently some wizarding lawyers waiting for the ensuing legal issues to dismantle this law once and for all. Well that or reinforce it forever. Luna thinks being the first to expose the story will bring more credibility to the Quibbler. Not that I disagree, mind.” 

The notion of Rappaport’s Law being forever on the books gave rise to anxiety in Teddy, but the hope of having it repealed lit a fire inside him that almost counteracted his unease. Getting up to grab another round of beer for them from the fridge, he paused to press a quick kiss on James’ cheek as he grabbed his empty beer bottle. He didn’t miss when James blushed two shades darker.

“New beers all round?” Teddy asked while opening the fridge. The lack of response caused him to pull out three new bottles anyway.

“Hey, why’re you doing that the No-Maj way?” Troy called out.

“Hey, Muggles aren’t all that bad. You’re the one who insists on celebrating their holiday,” Teddy retorted and watched Troy roll his eyes. The long held Muggle vs. No-Maj debate endured between them - each vowing not to adopt the other’s colloquialism - and would prevent Troy from asking more questions about why Teddy hadn’t just summoned the bottles. 

Returning with fresh beer bottles he passed them around before moving to take a seat next to James, gesturing towards his phone, “All this also explains why my boyfriend came back so late last night.”

Teddy could practically feel James’ apologetic grin in response to his teasing. “Duty calls?” James said, almost sheepishly.

“Aw, look at you two - bantering like an old married couple already.”

Troy was clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease Teddy about his new relationship. Teddy couldn’t really blame him though. He’d teased Troy and Jennifer enough over the years. He let it go for the moment.

“Well that explains why your article is so involved at least,” Troy said, “But how does Madison fit into all this?”

James shrugged, “She had the connections I needed.” He clicked his new beer bottle against the table as a silvery red panda bounded into the room and rubbed up against Troy. 

“Hey, Babe,” Jennifer’s voice filled the air, “dinner with Melody was fun. What time do you think you’ll be home? No rush, just wondering. Love you.” Message delivered the red panda vanished with the soft, translucent blue hum Teddy had come to associate with the majority of corporeal Patronuses.

“Who’s married here?” Teddy offered the teasing yet snide comment, watching as Troy pulled out his wand, “and when are you going to get a phone anyway? OwlMail is so much easier-”

“Not anytime soon,” Troy said seriously before casting his patronus. A large Newfoundland dog appeared in the room. 

Teddy heard James laugh into his ear as he leaned in close, “Oh! I knew I liked him!” he urgently whispered to Teddy as Troy relayed his message and sent the dog off before turning back to the two of them. 

“What’s with him?” Troy pointed to James.

“One of his namesakes was the Grim,” Teddy said solemnly, as if that explained the whole story.

“Was?” Troy asked. Teddy worked to hold back his grin - trust Troy to focus on the past tense and ignore the superstitious part of the answer.

“Yeah, he was an animagus,” James elaborated, “according to my dad he could turn into a big, black, shaggy dog - not unlike your patronus there.”

Troy nodded, “Well, Mr. ‘I’m-named-after-an-animagus’ what’s your patronus?”

“Two actually.”

“Huh?”

“I’m named after two Animagi. And my Patronus-” James stood, pulled out his wand, stole a glance at Teddy and before casting, “ _ Expecto Patronum _ .”

A young fawn appeared on top of Teddy’s table. It radiated energy and lightness as it eagerly bounded off the table and traced two circles around them before James dispelled the charm with a wave. “Dad reckons it will grow up with time, but I think my patronus is bound to youth forever,” he smiled as he re-pocketed his wand, “and you, Teddy - yours still a wolf?” 

“Yeah, last I cast it,” Teddy answered hoping he sounded nonchalant while pushing down the sad ache he felt growing in his chest. 

Teddy had been one of the last in his year to produce a corporeal Patronus. He struggled to master the spell, unable to produce a happy memory powerful enough to sustain the incantation. He had managed it once at Hogwarts, using the memory of being gifted with the Marauder's Map during his third year, which had been his favorite Christmas present. Harry had wrapped it in a box with a gold ribbon and when he opened it, bit of blank parchment staring up at him, he had been thoroughly confused. It wasn’t until Harry demonstrated how it worked that he had understood - the cartography and artistry, the complexity of the magic - in that moment he had never felt closer to his dad in his entire life. The happiness he’d felt in his chest had remained for two whole days afterwards as he spent all of boxing day and indeed the remainder of the Christmas holiday watching a quiet Hogwarts from his bedroom wondering what his dad was like when he was in school. It was not a memory he ever forgot, but it was a quiet one, a state of soft happiness he didn’t often experience. 

It wasn’t until the summer after his seventh year, before he moved to New York, that Harry had shared with him that his dad had taught Harry the Patronus charm himself. He had taken Teddy and James on a trip to Diagon Alley as Teddy needed to go to Gringotts and exchange galleons for dragots. Once that task was complete, James had slipped away into Quality Quidditch Supplies, giving Teddy and Harry an unusual moment of time with just the two of them. 

As they walked along together, Teddy had found himself practically drooling in front of the window of  Sugarplum's Sweets Shop , captivated by the large chocolate cauldron depicted in the window - ‘Now with new molten caramel center!’ the advertisement had proclaimed. The smell of chocolate had swept him into the store and before he knew it he and Harry had found themselves at the checkout counter, Teddy now in possession of a chocolate cauldron, four chocolate frogs (one for himself and one for each of the Potter children) and a huge bar of Honeydukes' finest chocolate imported from Hogsmeade. Teddy had torn into that bar first, breaking off a piece for himself and Harry as they sat at an outdoor table to wait for James. Harry had bit into the chocolate, clearly enjoying the taste, before turning to Teddy. “You know,” he’d smiled warmly if a little sad, “the first time I think I tried this chocolate your dad gave it to me.”

Teddy had looked up in surprise, the taste of melted chocolate still fresh on his tongue. Harry let out a soft laugh before he continued, “it was in my third year. You remember how I told you your dad taught Defence Against the Dark Arts that year?” Teddy had nodded enthusiastically. He didn’t forget much of what he was told when it came to his parents. “Well that year the Ministry sent Dementors to protect the school. Sirius had broken out of Azkaban and everyone believed him to be guilty back then - even your dad was not convinced of his innocence at the time. While perhaps not the wisest of decisions, the Ministry allowed the Dementors to patrol the school grounds - for our protection, they said,” Harry let out a dismissive humph. “Well some of them got onto the Hogwarts Express. When they floated by, I felt like I would never be happy again.” Harry had shuddered for a moment and, at a loss for anything to say, Teddy had simply handed him another generous piece of chocolate bar, which he had taken with a small smile before continuing.

“Your dad and I were in the same train compartment. He was sleeping - slumped over a briefcase with his initials on it - which was the only indication to me at that time of who he was, as we had never met before then. Thinking back now I am not sure if he was really sleeping or simply pretending, but when the Dementors attacked he was the first to spring into action. After calming us all down he passed out chocolate to help counteract their effect.

“When the Dementors showed up again later in the year, I asked your dad to teach me how to protect myself. I think he was reluctant to do it at first, but eventually he conceded. I like to think that he wanted to help me.” Teddy remembered that Harry had paused here for quite some time, seemingly lost in the memory. Teddy had simply sat there, eating another piece of chocolate and feeling the warmth of the sweet spread throughout his chest. He had imagined his dad must have been feeling the same thing back then. He had been lost in that thought when James had bound excitedly over to them chatting wildly about the some newly launched Quidditch gear. 

“Dad, you need to come see! They used red leather!” James had gushed as Harry had smiled apologetically in Teddy's direction. 

“I’m sorry I never told you that story sooner - I honestly thought I had,” he’d said before allowing himself to be pulled by James, Teddy in tow behind them, still compartmentalizing the sting of loss that always came attached to the mention of his parents. 

James’ excited antics hadn’t changed too much in the intervening years, Teddy mused as he looked at him now, just as bright as he’d always been. Still contemplating his patronus, Teddy wondered if it would be different now or, barring that, any easier for him to cast. Teddy always secretly despised the fact that the spell did not come effortlessly to him, but thinking back to the smile on James face while they walked around the WCT Quidditch pitch, his infectious energy and how Teddy had felt recharged from just being near his boyfriend, he had a sneaking suspicion that his attempt at casting his Patronus might be different these days.

“I suppose ‘ _ modern-wizards _ ’ with their fancy cell-phones will just let traditions die,” Troy said, his tone playful but his eyes serious. 

“Oi- you prat! We’re just keeping up with technology today. Not saying the old methods don’t work - they can just be really obtrusive,” Teddy said good naturedly, not wanting to let on how relieved he was that he didn’t have to cast his Patronus to send a message, but he was certain it was probably evident all the same.

“I suppose I’ll have to concede on the obtrusive point,” Troy sighed, “but  _ prat? _ Really Teddy, you do know you’re in America, right?” 

“Yeah, it’s wizards like you that won’t let me forget,” Teddy grinned. “You headed out then?”

“Yeah, Jennifer said I could stay later but you know me - whipped, old, married man. Mind if I use your Floo?” Troy waved towards the fireplace.

“Not at all,” Teddy laughed and got up to see his friend off, and James stood up behind him, “you know that. It was good to see you, as always.”

“You too,” Troy said before looking at James over Teddy’s shoulder, “you’ll take good care of him? And make sure he doesn’t work too hard?”

“As much as he’ll allow it,” James replied, adoration clear in his tone.

“Just remember: if you hurt him, you answer to me,” Troy made it sound serious but his grin was unmistakable as he threw some Floo powder into the hearth. “The Crow’s Nest,” he called and, with a small wave to Teddy and a promise to see him soon, he was gone.

Silence fell over the room for a beat. James moved to clear the beer bottles from the table while Teddy fought the urge to pin him against the wall. He paused himself mid-thought. Why was he hesitating? It was just the two of them now. The thought propelled him forward and he wrapped his arms around James gently, pulling the beer bottles from his hands. 

“Mm,” James hummed, “what’s up?”

“What? I can’t hold my boyfriend from behind?”

“Of course you can, anytime you want,” James turned around to face him and Teddy pushed him backwards into the table snogging him soundly. It was strong and sweet and wonderful and Teddy didn’t want to stop.

Pressing himself closer, he lost himself to the feeling. His mind gone blissfully blank save for the man in front of him, he kissed James with everything he had, putting all of his heart into the action and hoping beyond hope James could feel it too.

“Wow,” James breathed, a small moment of reprieve for both of them to catch their breath, “what brought that on?”

“You,” Teddy smiled, “are just damn sexy. And  _ mine _ .”

James laughed, “I love you.” The words spilled out before it looked like James could control them. “I didn’t think it would be like this.” 

“Be like what?” Teddy asked, confused. 

“You being so sexual. I didn’t really know what to expect with your demisexual nature and all.”

Teddy pulled back slightly, his arms still wrapped around James, as he studied the lines of his face. “James, you do know what demisexual  _ means _ , right?”

“I thought I did,” James replied, confidence waning, as he clutched his hand against Teddy’s back.

“Well I suppose it is different for everyone. But for me, basically it means that as I get more emotionally attached to someone the stronger my sexual attraction to them grows. And I can’t understate my emotional connection to  _ you _ ,” Teddy tried to explain, pouring out the words to make sure James understood. Their eyes connected in the embrace. Not for the first time, Teddy reveled in the wonderful golden glow that just seemed to flow from James. He wasn’t sure when he first noticed it, but it had always been there, making James stand out in ways that only Teddy could see - and that made every inch of his body sing as the vibration flowed through him and set his heart fluttering in his chest. The love he could see projecting from James’ eyes was overwhelming and left Teddy with the feeling he could drown in them. He felt warmth spreading out from his center as James pulled him forward, closer to him, to recapture his mouth in a searing kiss that felt magical. 

It could have been hours that passed, or mere minutes. Teddy didn’t know. He just lost himself to sensation, the magnetic pull of their two bodies moving together. Like a dance only the two of them knew, the world fading away as they moved toward the bedroom, pieces of clothing strewn on the ground, through the doorframe to his room where James gently pressed Teddy down onto the bed. Sinking into the soft bedding and wondering briefly how James had managed to get on top of him, his mind was silenced as James took in the length of him in one go, surrounding him with heat and effectively stopping any and all thoughts for the remainder of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing about patronuses chapter! I like to think mine would be a raccoon or tanuki - they're so much cuteness and trouble wrapped into one. What would yours be? What were your favorite parts of this chapter?
> 
> Kudo, Subscriptions, Comments make all my days so much better - love hearing from you guys!
> 
> For Jeddy awesome-ness join me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	13. Grey Impressionism

**Chapter 13 - Grey Impressionism**

A direct message notification from MajGram woke Teddy up early the next morning. Teddy let out a groan that was drowned out by the blaring alert and wrapped his arms tighter around James, who had snuggled close in his sleep and was currently radiating warm contentment from his entire being. 

Teddy was mildly surprised he was still in bed. James had taken to getting up in the mornings and working out, typically leaving behind a note for Teddy, often accompanied by hot chocolate, on his nightstand with the promise that he would be around later. Always signed ‘I love you.’ This simple proclamation gave Teddy a warm thrill every time he read it, which he did secretly and often. Considering James had been under a lot of stress and working late nights, that coupled with the previous night’s activities, Teddy supposed they had both worn each other out - even if the younger man probably had more stamina than he did.

The second alert blared, letting Teddy know that he had neglected to look at the message he’d received. James stirred slowly, the noise disturbing his sleep, and pushed his hair back off his face with his forearm before opening his eyes. Teddy found the sight adorable.

“Hi sleepy head,” he said affectionately, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “you’re looking good this morning.”

James let out a muffled laugh. “I’m sure. Bed head is so sexy,” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

“It is when it’s attached to you,” Teddy replied before turning over to grab his phone from the nightstand. ‘1 notification: @TheRealMarieR has sent you a message’ the screen lit up, prompting Teddy to open the app to see what was sent. His senses were immediately overwhelmed with several wizarding motion pictures of famed French Muggle artist Edgar Degas’ famous works, mostly his pieces of dancers and dance studios. The accompanying message read:

Teddy raised his eyebrows; he was certainly not expecting something so traditional. He had assumed, apparently falsely, that Marie would send him much more modern inspiration akin to his own aesthetic. But traditional he could work with, it certainly didn’t add much additional complexity and was all well within his artistic range. Leaning back against the pillows, Teddy let himself envision a space that was something of a cross between his old common room and a ballet studio. The scene came naturally to Teddy as he conjured the imagery, all the while adding his own details. He wondered, briefly, which Ilvermorny house Marie was sorted in - he would have to ask her when she came in for her portrait sitting.

“You’re either deep in thought or trying to go back to sleep.”

James’ voice warmly cut through Teddy’s train of thought, but he didn’t open his eyes. Instead he groaned, “Nah. I know I should get up, but I don’t really want to.” 

“Too bad we can’t just stay in bed all day,” James’ voice took on an air of sexiness before subsiding, “Adulting sucks, huh?”

Teddy choked on a laugh before relenting and opening his eyes, “Some days, but when there’s someone as adorable as you around, who cares?”

The blush on James’ cheeks was deep and Teddy felt warm down to his toes. It made the notion of getting up all the more difficult. Affectionately he turned towards James, pulling him in close for a deep snog and breathing in his scent. It was James who broke the contact first.

“Hey now, too much of that and we’ll never get up.”

“I think I’ve told you before, that’s my plan.”

“Cheeky git. You’re lucky I love you.”

“Who are you calling a git?” Teddy asked with a laugh. “What year is it? How old are we?”

“I like that your voice still sounds the same,” James mused in reply.

“Huh?”

“Your voice hasn’t changed. I mean, it didn’t change - when you moved to America. I like that. I worried it might when you first came here. I’ve always liked the sound of your voice and thought once you were gone you’d have picked up a New York accent or, Merlin help us all, a Southern one,” James shuddered visibly at the thought.

“Wha? There’s nothing wrong with a Southern accent. Or a New York one.” Teddy squared his shoulders and put on his best mock native New Yorker voice, “I mean, I thought you liked New York coffee and Wizarding Central park?” Coffee came out like ‘cawfee’ and park sounded like ‘pak’.

“Oi- get outta here,” James looked appalled even as he laughed.

“Don’t you mean ‘get outta hea’?” Teddy laid his horrible imitation accent on thick. He wasn’t surprised when a pillow twacked him square in the face. “Oi! I’m gonna get you for that!” he called, wrestling James down into the sheets playfully and exacting his revenge while enjoying the feel of James’ body beneath his. He bit back a moan.

“Uncle!” James called, pushing him up slightly but still hanging onto Teddy’s shoulders. “You don’t play fair.”

“Nope,” Teddy agreed, burying his face in James’ neck and placing a small kiss there, “and there’s a lot of things I am but I am certainly _not_ your uncle.” James pulled away and shot him a look of mock-horror. Teddy couldn’t stop his laughter.

“What?” James whined, “I know you’re not. I have more than enough of those anyway.”

“Yeah,” Teddy wrapped his arm around James’ waist and pulled him close. “I’m so much better,” he whispered before kissing the top of his head. James sighed happily as if in agreement.

They laid there in silence for a moment.

“You know, that reminds me. I meant to tell you yesterday, but I had the opportunity to speak with Mum about Uncle George. The two of us have been talking a lot more recently, what with the whole Madison-rejection-debacle and all, so at some point I brought up your client and the patent thing and she asked George about it.”

“And?”

James laughed, “and what?”

“Don’t keep a man in suspense here, James! What did he say?”

James shrugged. Or at least the best shrug he could manage tucked into Teddy’s side. “She said that he said yes, his products were patented a few years back by an American Wizarding Lawyer. She thought the name Roche sounded somewhat familiar. I guess Uncle George had been looking for some protection on his products ever since Amanuensis Quills tried to copy his directly rather than create their own. Or better still, order and supply his internationally. I guess he considered it a bit of a personal matter, though Mum refused to tell me why. Either way, he went and hired a lawyer from the States, so it must have been an ordeal.”

Teddy contemplated this a moment before musing aloud, “I wonder how long ago that was.”

“You could always ask Uncle George. Or Mr. Roche when you see him again.”

Teddy nodded, though he wasn’t sure he’d have the courage to ever ask either man.

James’ arms tightened around Teddy for a moment. He squeezed him before letting out a reluctant groan. “I don’t wanna get up,” he whined like a petulant child. 

Somehow, beyond all logic, Teddy found this incredibly adorable. He was in so much damn trouble where James was concerned. 

Running his fingers down his face in hopes it might help clear his mind, Teddy sought to make the thought of getting up a little bit easier - one of them clearing out of the bed might do it. “Why don’t you take a shower first?” Teddy offered. “If we share water neither of us will ever get moving.”

A small look of sadness crossed James’ features before he schooled it off his face. He leaned over to give Teddy a parting snog before heading to the bathroom. “Joke’s on you!” he called back, “I had to piss something awful anyway.”

Teddy stifled a laugh and watched James walk out of his bedroom before pulling out his phone again. Opening OwlMail he typed out a reply to Azumi’s thank you letter from the day before, thanking her for coming in and extending her an offer. Hopeful she could start this week, he ended his note with an open invitation to visit his studio during business hours to complete her employment paperwork and included his contact information as well should she prefer to Floo or owl him. Though, if he was being honest, he couldn’t see her doing the latter.

As the little graphic owl popped up on his screen proclaiming his message sent, James appeared in the doorway, his torso bare, towel around his waist, water droplets falling from his hair, and all of him vibrating a faint yellow. His eyes were bright and shining as he looked at Teddy, who was suddenly slightly self conscious in the faded yellow tee and grey boxers he had managed to put on before passing out the night before.

Teddy watched as James leaned casually against the doorframe, the other man watching him as he pulled the covers back and got out of bed. Running a hand through his matted hair, he crossed the room to his dresser, looking for a nicer pair of jeans - if Azumi was going to come by to file her employment paperwork, he supposed he should dress up a little. 

Pushing aside his favorite jeans, faded denim now a soft blue acid wash from over ten years of wear, ripped, and covered in paint stains, his hand closed around a pressed pair of dark blue denim at the bottom of the drawer. Pulling them out he grabbed a dark brown T-shirt from the top of the drawer above and then turned to his closet, pulling out a robe so dark green it was almost black. It wasn’t often he wore robes these days, usually they got in the way while painting, but today he found himself thinking back to Azumi’s proclamation of blending modern fashion with wizarding traditional dress and felt like he wanted to emulate that. 

Fabric in hand, he tossed it all in a heap on the bed before heading over to the doorway where James snaked an arm out to catch him by the waist. He allowed himself to lean into it, laughing a bit as gravity pulled him down and James took all his weight.

“Oof- Teddy,” James almost shirked, “don’t pull me down with you.”

“What are you talking about? I’m as light as a feather,” Teddy teased.

“You wish,” the teasing came back.

“I can morph myself to any weight I want,” Teddy mock-pouted, sticking out his lower lip. 

James seized the moment and kissed him, tugging on the proffered lip, before pulling back. “Yeah, but you won’t,” he said offhandedly, amusement radiating from his eyes.

“And just how do you know that?” Teddy challenged.

“Because, I know you,” came the swift reply.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You,” James snogged him quick on the lips, “wouldn’t,” another snog, “cheat.”

Teddy felt a giddiness well up in his chest. Regardless of if James was right or not, and he definitely was, he certainly knew how to make a point.

“Alright, alright,” Teddy laughed, “I should really go take a shower.”

“Wanna give me a strip tease first?” James laughed at Teddy’s slightly mortified look as he headed out the door, “Taking away all that sexy from me. Shame. Least I get a great view of that arse!” James called down the hallway.

“Love you too!” Teddy called as he shut the bathroom door and leaned over to turn on the hot water. Pulling off his shirt and boxers as the water warmed, he felt small butterflies of happiness swarm in his gut. All-in-all it was a good morning, he decided - even if he was forced to get up with the sun.

* * *

_Tomorrow is Friday,_ Teddy reminded himself as he pulled out his newest sketchbook and laid it on his desk. His morning session had been booked by an older Witch who wanted to be painted with her cat familiars. She had brought them in tow, and Teddy found his work station now covered in paw prints as the kittens had walked back and forth across his paints - despite the woman’s best efforts to control them. “Here, Camille!” and “Off that, Taylor!” she’d call, but herding cats was not in her DNA. So she shrugged her shoulders helplessly as Camille rubbed up affectionately against Teddy’s leg and Taylor mistook the end of his paintbrush for a cat toy.

He was proud of his final work despite all the feline distractions. Usually the portrait sitting session was his favorite of the three, indeed it was the most purely creative, but today he found himself quite apprehensive about his afternoon session with Mr. and Mrs. Roche. He hadn’t even realized they were due to come in today; he’d had a cancellation the week before and, in all the commotion around James' Madison-rejection-debacle and his own frantic search for an assistant, he had forgotten to check who had rebooked the time slot. 

‘There’s nothing for it now,’ Teddy thought as he cast various specialty cleaning charms to lift up and collect the drying paint from his work station. He was very relieved he had decided to look a little more presentable today. 

Thinking he should have wine at the ready this time, he uncorked a new bottle, setting it up along with two wine glasses on a spare table he placed next to a sitting chair. Surveying the space and satisfied with its level of cleanliness - honestly it really wasn’t going to get any better anyway - Teddy went back over to his computer to wait.

Opening Photoshop, Teddy waited for his newest digital project to load. He was working on a piece inspired by the traditional style of the American Southwest - very bold, graphic and colorful, if minimalist, depicting the silhouette of a lone wolf howling at the full moon. Both were dark black against a vibrantly colored sunset. Teddy was currently working on a spell to make the moon and wolf the active dimensional elements while the background remained static. However, the fact he’d depicted the moon being out earlier in the night than astrologically accurate was making the spell tricky. He couldn’t just use the one he’d normally cast on a dark night sky. He was typing out a few notes of ideas to try when his studio door opened.

Mr. Roche presented himself in front of Teddy’s desk wearing dark jeans and a loud patterned button up collared shirt that looked like it was made of pure silk and must have cost more Dragots than Teddy made in a month. It was lucky, Teddy thought, that James had answered his questions about George's patents that morning, or else Teddy would have probably found himself concentrating on nothing else all day. As it was he had a slightly delayed reaction when Mr. Roche reached up to shake his hand.

“Good to see you again, Mr. Lupin. I was very relieved when this spot opened up in your calendar. Things have been very busy and I wanted to get my wife and I in before the holidays arrive. We do a lot of entertaining around that time.” Mr. Roche offered the explanation stiffly and professionally.

“No worries, Mr. Roche,” Teddy replied, “will Mrs.- ern, Stephanie be joining us then?”

“Oh yes,” Steven replied, “she messaged me. She’s just running slightly late. Hosted the Witches’ weekly luncheon today, you see. It was her turn, or so she tells me. Between you and me though, I don’t really much care - I just write the check.” He winked and laughed at his own joke. Teddy forced himself to smile.

“We’ll give her a few minutes then?” Teddy asked, turning back to his computer, screen still open on his silhouetted wolf.

“Yes, yes,” Steven said as he waved his hands, as if for emphasis. "If I can make an effort to be on time, she won’t be too far behind.” He took a seat, rather elegantly, in one of Teddy’s chairs. For a minute the only sound in the room was the click of Teddy’s mouse, before the front door burst open and Stephanie danced through. Her long robes billowing around her. They were a multicolored pattern that complimented her husband’s attire. Teddy wondered if they coordinated on purpose.

“Sorry I’m late,” she announced, gliding over to her husband and planting a kiss on his cheek. Teddy noticed she was wearing multiple necklaces, one of which gave the illusion of floating diamonds around her neck. “Hi, honey,” she said with kindred affection before turning to Teddy. “Hello, Teddy.“

“Hullo,” Teddy said as he stood up at the same time as Mr. Roche did. He had meant to shake her hand but she quickly walked past him and deeper into the studio without any prompting. He did his best to play off his raised hand by motioning for Steven to follow her back. Transfiguring a second chair, he placed it next to the first, directing the couple to have a seat and offering them both some wine before taking his place behind the canvas. 

“Thank you both for coming today,” he addressed the couple. Normally pleasantries would be exchanged before sitting down to paint, but Stephanie had sped that along with her directness. Even after all these years in America, it was sometimes still hard for Teddy to accept the brisk mannerisms that he knew were perfectly, and culturally, acceptable.

“Of course, thank you for fitting us in,” Stephanie gushed, reaching out to grab her husband’s hand. “We’re very excited to see what you come up with. Aren’t we, honey?”

Steven grunted in agreement, and Teddy took that as his cue to begin. He started on the basic sketch outline of his subjects, taking care to notate the length of their limbs, the placement of their eyes, the curves of their bodies, and occasionally taking the time to detail certain features as he went along. Capturing their shapes and transferring them to canvas was the easy part, but to give them weight and make them feel real in the space took more careful planning. As he sketched, he heard the couple whispering to each other but didn’t bother to insert himself - they would address him if they wanted to. He enjoyed the quiet moment and lost himself in his work. 

“Say, Teddy, have you given any more thought to patenting your Photoshop work?” Steven’s voice cut through the air like a knife, shaking his concentration.

The truth was, Teddy hadn’t. Between finding an assistant, his upcoming meeting with Jason Fischer, and James’ unexpected publicity, he’d had other priorities on his mind. Until this morning it had been a minute since he’d even given any thought as to how George’s quills were patented. But he didn’t want to admit that to Mr. Roche.

Teddy grew up with self-inking quills. When he moved on from crayons they were the tool he’d graduated to. George always had an endless supply at his shop after all. But self-inking quills had their own negatives as far as Teddy was concerned - the ink dried instantly and all marks made with them were permanent. They couldn’t be blended and there was no way he could achieve shading like he’d wanted. Teddy learned early on that he couldn’t erase any mistakes, which forced him to make deliberate lines. This became especially tricky when he was teaching himself figure drawing as the medium had dictated he needed to pen his lines meticulously and cautiously. Back in those days he would rip out doodles and lines he wasn’t happy with from his sketchbooks, balling up the parchment and tossing it away as if his mistakes offended him, or perhaps fearing he would be judged on his self-perceived lack of ability. Nowadays Teddy wished he’d never been so rash. He’d rather have the history of his artistic evolution chronicled in detail. An excuse to look back and say “look, this was my ‘blue period,’” or something of the sort. Instead Teddy now possessed a bunch of sketchbooks from his younger years with over half the pages torn out, tucked away inside his old school trunk at his Gran's.

Oddly enough, it was Charlie Weasley who introduced him to Muggle pencils. It had been a stifling August day and the Weasley-clan had all gathered to celebrate Ginny’s twenty-fifth birthday. Harry had come to collect Teddy directly from his Gran's with James, a babe of barely a year, tucked in his arms. “There will be cake,” Harry had promised Teddy, convincing him to come to the party. He had, however, neglected to mention what kind of cake it would be, and Teddy had been terribly disappointed to find it was _vanilla_ with light blue buttercream icing and pink and purple sprinkles. Least the frosting had tasted good. He had changed his hair a light blue to match.

Once everyone was fed and the cake had been sliced, the family had gathered in the backyard to corral together a mock-quidditch match. Teddy, still slightly too young to fly, had moved to sit under a tree that had a perfect view of the field. Reveling in the shade, he’d opened his sketchbook, self-inking quill poised to capture the movement of the game. But the grown-ups had taken a long time to organize things so, instead, Teddy had started sketching the garden, adding in the gnomes for fun despite the fact that none seemed to be out today - it was too hot even for them - and giving the gnomes silly faces. Teddy vividly remembered wincing when one of his lines was out of place, not yet able to use magic to erase anything yet.

Teddy didn’t know how long he’d sat there before Charlie had joined him, holding up a leather journal that had some indistinguishable words, probably in another language, imprinted on the cover. “Can I join you?” the older man had asked, not waiting for an answer before sitting in the grass beside Teddy. 

Teddy didn't get to see Charlie very much as he lived far away working with dragons. Whenever he did come home, he would have so many exciting stories of exotic places that he would share with his brothers. Teddy would always listen, enraptured, as they sounded so impressive and colorful. The older wizard had shown up an hour or so before the cake was served, shuffling through the Burrow’s front door rather than stepping out of the Floo and sporting heavier robes than necessary for the August heat, dragon-hide boots and a small rucksack over his shoulder. Molly had come up to greet him, tugging Teddy along and keeping him close by her side. Ginny had followed close behind them both, five-month old Al in her arms. 

“Surprise!” Charlie had called as Ginny had swiftly handed off Albus to Mrs. Weasley before bum-rushing him into a hug. "Didn't really think I’d miss your 25th, did you?”

“Well you never know,” Ginny had responded, “and you were teasing me that you didn’t think you could make it. What else was I supposed to think?” 

“I _knew_ my presence would be the best present!” Charlie’s grin had held a spark of brotherly affection as he’d ruffled her hair.

“Hey, Mr. Conceited - stop that! I’m not five anymore!” Ginny had protested.

“No, but you’ll still always be my baby sister no matter how old you get,” Charlie had laughed. “Not taking applications for substitutes either.”

Ginny had made a face at that, but it hadn't lasted long as Charlie had reached into his robes, pulling out a scroll that looked suspiciously like dragonhide tied with a simple leather cord. With much fanfare he had handed it to her. Teddy had watched as Ginny had accepted the gift, thanking Charlie before tucking it into her robes and taking Al back into her arms. Teddy had been so curious of what had been inside. A treasure map, he had decided at the time - 'That would be a fun gift'. He'd been daydreaming about creating maps when he'd suddenly realized Charlie was talking to him.

“Teddy, you’ve gotten so big! How old are you now?” 

“Eight,” Teddy had been tempted to hold up his fingers but had refrained, holding them behind his back instead. He had felt certain this restraint made him look more adult and wise beyond his years. He imagined his Gran would be proud.

“Well well, I am certain mum is happy to have some kids back in the house.”

Teddy had frowned slightly, he wasn’t a kid anymore.

“Least this bunch is more manageable than you lot were,” Molly had teased her son as she’d, at last, pulled him into a hug. “It’s nice to have you home. I worry about you out there with those dragons - you don’t come round enough.”

“Aw, Mum,” Charlie had groaned, grinning all the same.

“Honestly, Charlie, if you would settle down like the rest of this lot, maybe I wouldn’t worry so much,” she said, not wholly joking.

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Charlie responded. “Can you quit worrying about my love life and get back to the part where it’s nice to have me home again?”

“Of course, dear,” Molly sighed, “you are always welcome here.”

“Well you know what they say,” Charlie offered Teddy a wink, “there’s no place like home.”

Teddy hadn’t wholly understood what Charlie meant by that but he’d wanted to appear like he did, so he’d nodded enthusiastically as Molly led all of them away from the door and into the living room where Charlie had been swarmed by his brothers and the rest of the family. Teddy had backed away slowly, finding a quiet corner to sit in and observe. He hadn’t missed when Charlie nodded to him though, his eyes alight with something that had looked like approval. 

“You’re very introverted, aren’t you Teddy?” Charlie had asked, pulling Teddy back to the moment under the tree. 

Teddy, unsure of the meaning of the word, looked up from his sketch to ask, “Introverted - is that like introduction?”

“No,” Charlie had smiled fondly, “Introverted. It means you’re very thoughtful and quiet.”

Teddy had contemplated this a moment before nodding.

Charlie had mimicked the movement. “That’s okay. We can’t all be outgoing all of the time,” he’d reassured. A beat passed before he had added, “Can I see what you’re working on there?”

Teddy had closed his sketchbook, clutching it protectively to his chest and shaking his head in a definitive refusal. Charlie had just smiled.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to show me. Can I show you something instead?”

It had struck Teddy that Charlie hadn’t talked to him like the other adults in his life did. He hadn’t demanded things, and indeed he’d promised to share something of his with Teddy. That had been enough to grab his attention. Curiosity piqued, he’d loosened his grip on his sketchbook, leaning forward as Charlie had opened his journal.

“This is my field book,” Charlie had said, moving to sit beside Teddy so the turquoise-haired boy could have a proper look. 

A detailed sketch of a dragon had reflected back at them, anatomically accurate down to individual scales. The dragon had danced across the page, spreading and retracting his wings and turning around in a circle to show off his tail. The whole piece had been drawn in grey-scale, devoid of color, but Teddy had sensed a faint green color reflecting back at him off the edges of the image. In the margin had been a series of numbers and a name, Devon, which had been followed by rows of logs charmed to appear and then fade off the page in a rotation - notes detailing feeding schedules, growth and breeding data, and all manner of additional information, most of it over Teddy’s head. Teddy had reached out his hand to run it along the edge of the page and had been shocked to find the grey color transferred to his fingertips despite the page’s many enchantments. He had looked up at Charlie in surprise.

“When we work with dragons we have to keep track of all their habits - their likes, dislikes, etcetera - all in one place. Each dragon tamer has their own notebook of logs. They’re kinda like our Muggle bible. Or a really awesome and useful textbook.”

“Did you draw him?” Teddy had asked.

“Her,” Charlie had corrected. “And I draw some of my dragons, and some I get a little help with.”

“From friends or from magic?” Teddy asked skeptically.

“Friends,” Charlie had said before shutting his book. 

“What do you draw them with? Self-inking quills don’t get on my hands like that.”

"Well of course not! It's just a pencil." Charlie had looked a little aghast at Teddy's blank look, "Haven't you ever used a pencil before?"

Teddy had shaken his head, tilting his sketchbook down some as Charlie reached into one of his pockets and produced a long thin cylindrical piece of wood. Too small to be a wand, with a point on one end and a tiny pink cap on the other.

“This is a pencil. Muggles use them to draw. I’ve plused this one up with an ever-sharpening charm. And the eraser won’t wear out either. Go on - try it,” Charlie had held out the pencil and Teddy had reached up to grab it, tapping the pointy end with his finger. 

“What is it? The grey ink?” he’d asked.

“Muggles call it graphite. Though I think when I was your age it may have been made out of lead. Now I think they mix it with clay. I do know you can buy different varieties of it based on how much clay is mixed in or not - they mark them with these numbers to tell you how hard or soft the lead is. The softer, the easier to blend. I have a friend who’s a Muggle-born - the one who sometimes helps me to draw dragons. She taught me about these. I find they are so much handier than quills. See, you use it just like your Self-Inking Quill there, except,” Charlie had lowered his voice like he was about to divulge a great secret, “you can erase it without the use of magic.”

Teddy had felt his eyes widen. With effort, he'd schooled them back into shape. He hadn’t been able to stop his hair from morphing though - suddenly it was long and deep green. Charlie smiled at him. “Go on then,” he’d encouraged.

With some hesitation Teddy had turned to a new page in his sketchbook and begun drawing Charlie’s boots. They were tall and intricate and looked handmade. As Teddy worked to get the basic outline just right, he relished the ease with which the pencil glided over the page. It had brought a smile to his face, and his hair had flashed turquoise in his excitement. Charlie had looked over his shoulder, “Hey that’s pretty good kid. You keep that up and you might have a future in it.”

Teddy had paused his sketching, tapping the pencil against his cheek. It had been pretty good for an outline. He’d looked up at Charlie. “Think I can keep this?” he’d asked, indicating to the pencil.

“All yours, kid. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

Teddy had grinned wide - he hadn’t expected Charlie to say yes. He wasn’t sure but he thought he might still have that pencil tucked away in with his old sketchbooks. He’d have to take inventory of his trunk one day - if he ever got back to his Gran’s.

Now, standing in front of Steven and his wife and sketching them out on the canvas lightly with a pencil, Teddy smiled fondly at the memory. He entertained the brief thought of pulling out a self-inking quill to sketch out Steven’s likeness but thought better of it - he didn’t know how the ink would react with the paints, and what’s more, it might mess with his animation spells later on.

Realizing Steven was waiting on an answer, he pulled back. “It crossed my mind,” Teddy not quite lied, “but I’ll confess I didn’t look into it too deeply.”

Steven nodded. “I still think it would be worth your while,” he insisted, “especially if you get any sort of recognition for them on those social channels.”

Teddy nodded and made a mental note to discuss the idea with Azumi. That is if she accepted the role. He still hadn’t heard back from her.

After some more time spent sketching out the finer details, Teddy took a step back to admire his progress. Satisfied, Teddy got up to grab their previously prepared paints. He hadn’t expected them back so soon, but it was lucky as the fresher the paint, the better it would glide over the canvas. Setting out his arsenal of brushes, he began to let the colors flow through him, directing his brush to paint over his original markings. He was exceptionally happy with how he incorporated the bright colors Stephanie had requested, strategically placing them in areas nearer to the natural shadows so they wouldn’t be overly bright.

Minutes melted into hours, and before he knew it, Teddy was admiring the finished painting before him.

“Would you like to see?” he asked the couple, who both nodded with anticipation before gathering round the canvas. Their likenesses stared back at them, unable to move yet. Predictably it was Stephanie who expressed her excitement first.

“Wow! This is fantastic!” her voice sounded thrilled, “I love how you used the bright colors too. They don’t toss things off balance at all!”

Even Steven nodded, “It’s very good,” he said solemnly, the last of the wine bottle now in his glass as he took a sip. “I can see why my wife is so fond of your work,” he parroted his line from his last visit and Teddy wondered if he had a creative bone in his body - Merlin knew Marie didn’t inherit a drop of imagination from her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the wonderful paintings in this chapter are form the artist Edgar Degas - I do not own them. 
> 
> Anyone catch Teddy's subtle ties to the Marauders in this chapter? I [shamelessly] tucked a few in...
> 
> Thank you all for the wonderful Kudos, Comments, and Bookmarks - they make me feel so connected during this time of social isolation. Which, incidentally, has also given me more writing time! For the 2020 JeddyFest I wrote a re-telling of Cinderella entitled Masquerade - it's set to post 4.21 and I hope you guys will check it out :D
> 
> As always, come join me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	14. Yellow Expressionism

**Chapter 14 - Yellow Expressionism**

**** Teddy walked with the Roches out of his studio to the closest Apparition coordinates. They weren’t popular with every Wizarding community across the US, but in New York City they functioned much like Muggle subway sites - much less chance of splinching, ending up in the wrong place, or being caught by a No-Maj. Teddy hated them and preferred not to use them, but even he had moments where he found them useful - like when visiting Times Square for instance. The Apparition coordinates were adequately hidden and monitored by the MACUSA, which ensured there would be no accidental crossing with a No-Maj.

“Marie will be back for her sitting in a few months - we had to find her an open Saturday appointment,” Stephanie informed him as the couple prepared to Disapparate. “And we will all be back within six months for our animation session - preferably sooner if you get a cancellation. Do owl us if you get a cancellation, won’t you Teddy?” 

Teddy put on a small smile, “I will do my best,” he promised, seeing them off with a wave. He had just reached the front door of his studio when Azumi came flying around the corner, her sleeveless, pink robes overtop a long sleeve, black maxi dress billowed out behind her and her leather messenger bag bobbed against her side. 

“Hi!” she called out, “I hope I’m not too late! I tried to make it before five but I got held up, which is why I didn’t send you an OwlMail confirming I was coming today. I know how unprofessional that is, and perhaps I should have waited, but I was just so excited to get your message! I even completed my paperwork beforehand.” She dove a hand into her bag, pulling out a manila file folder with her name clearly printed on the top followed by the name of his studio. “I hope this won’t hinder my employment here, especially seeing as I haven’t officially started yet.” 

Taking the folder from her, he tucked it under his arm and pushed open the studio door to let her inside. The pink of her robes caught the light as she swept past him into the studio. He thanked Merlin, yet again, that she had inspired him to wear nicer robes today.

“Good to see you again,” he said before moving behind his desk, dropping the file down. It fell haphazardly on top of his rune sketchbook as Azumi cautiously took a seat in the chair Steven had occupied earlier that day. “I am actually glad you made it in before I headed out. I will file this paperwork and get things sorted. I assume you approved of the offer terms then, since you completed them.” Teddy moved to compile the papers that had become loose and almost missed the flash of recognition on Azumi’s face as she nodded, pushing her fringe back off her forehead. She wore her hair down today, styled in slight waves. 

“Yes, and I am anxious to get started. I did a little poking around on your page to see what your posts were like, and I noticed you have one piece up already. Certainly a top priority will be to get you a bit more content. But I also saw your studio has been tagged by a micro-influencer - she has just over four thousand followers but I did notice the post specifically geotagged to your studio garnered well over twenty thousand likes.”

Teddy stared at her, dumbstruck. “I did?!? I mean, it did?”

“Yes.”

“Who posted that?” Teddy asked, collecting up the now organized manila folder and cracking it open. As he flipped through the pages, air blowing softly up into his face, realization dawned on him. “Wait - it wasn’t TheRealMarieR, was it?”

She nodded, “I believe that was the account handle. It was only a geotagged post, though, of her and some celebrity - a former Quidditch player from London. Or was it Wynwood? I’m not a huge Quidditch fan, not even of the teams here, so I’ve only really heard his last name before. I guess he’s the son of Harry Potter, the once famed savior of the wizarding world. I guess his kids made the news lately, though not for anything as remarkable as saving the whole world and all that.”

Teddy shook his head slowly at her words, as if trying to clear it. He flailed, torn between defending his boyfriend and wanting to keep his anonymity. Turned out he needn’t have worried as Azumi tilted her head and pointed to his now unearthed sketchbook. “Did you have that custom ordered, Teddy?”

“It was a gift.”

Azumi’s lips turned down into a small frown. “I could swear I’ve seen it before somewhere. I think, actually, yes! It was posted on MajGram a while back!”

“On MajGram?” Teddy looked up, curious. 

“Yeah,” Azumi confirmed, “I follow this wizarding artist who works with leather. It’s all incredible work. And not just sketchbooks - they handmake all sorts of leather goods. Lately they’ve been infusing stones and leather together and always cast protection spells on the finished products. I’ve been following this account for a long time - even back before the handle was changed. Hell, it even inspired me to invest in my leather bag,” she gestured to her bag resting by her combat boots on the floor. “Though mine is just off the shelf luxury fashion, not one of their custom-made, bespoke masterpieces. Anyway, it must have been that account who posted it. It looks very much like the same work, and I definitely think I remember seeing it. Which actually reminds me - I prepared a little more than just the paperwork for our meeting today.”

“Oh?” Teddy asked, intrigued.

“I took the liberty to start compiling a list for you of MajGram accounts I think you should follow. Or at least look up and see if you’d like to follow them. I am pretty sure I added that account to the list. Don’t worry, I am going to send you it electronically, but I also conjured it up for you on paper - thought you might like to have a tangible list as well.” Lifting her bag from the floor, she pulled out the parchment, running her hand down the list until she came to the handle she was looking for. 

“Here!” she proclaimed. Her finger marking the spot as she passed it over so Teddy could see, “that’s the account name.”

Teddy pulled it closer to himself and read the handle, @RedDragonLeather, as her pink manicured finger lifted off the page. It was a nice pink vibration, Teddy decided, very much like the pink coconut ice candies they sold at Honeydukes. Teddy wondered if she had matched her nails and robes on purpose as he skimmed the remainder of the list. While he read, Azumi pulled out her phone and opened MajGram, searching up the leather worker’s account.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, “see?” She turned her phone around so the screen faced Teddy. The image was already in motion showing the spine and pages of his sketchbook being magically sewn together. Words along the bottom read “two become one,” and the heart indicator beneath the entire post showed close to eight-thousand likes. Surprised, Teddy watched in awe as his sketchbook was bound tight - there was no mistaking the stones on the spine - the same sketchbook laid on his desk now.

“Personally I think it’s pretty cool,” Azumi’s voice could barely contain her excitement. “It’s not a super active account, maybe a post or two a month at most, but they have close to _sixteen_ thousand followers,” she said the number like it was the most important part of the sentence. “We will get you there, Mr. Lupin. Would you be willing to provide me with the login information for your account, so we can add yours to that number? And any others you approve of.”

“Who said I approved of this one?” Teddy asked.

Azumi looked both amused and off-put all at once. The effect was a muddy green that clouded Teddy’s vision for a moment. It cleared up quickly as Azumi found her stride again and smirked. “Uh, no offence, Mr. Lupin, but you have that exact sketchbook sitting right in front of you. Personally, I find that to be a good indicator of your approval. Even if it was a gift.”

“True. And please call me Teddy. Mr. Lupin makes me feel old,” Teddy said, reaching out towards the yellow stone on the sketchbook’s spine, the vibration radiating through his fingertips, spreading throughout his chest, and setting his heart back into a normal rhythm.

“Alright then, but I’d like it if you returned the favor and called me Az in that case,” she smiled, vibration yellow. “And with your approval, Teddy, I think it would be a good idea to post up an image that sends a message back. Show that you’re actually using the book, or maybe we can take an artsy-style photo of you drawing in it or something. Then we can tag their account, effectively killing two birds with one stone: sending a thank you and gaining new followers. What’s your account username and password again?” She leaned forward, poised to type, looking up at Teddy expectantly. “You can send me the edited list later of the other accounts you want to follow and I’ll add them.”

“The account is ELupinStudios. I’ll type in the password for you.” Teddy wasn’t entirely sure how a thank you post like that would work, but it sounded like Az had it all under control.

Azumi nodded and handed over her phone. Teddy typed in his account credentials and once the screen loaded he noticed that he had somehow amassed a whopping twenty followers on his account - one for every year James had been alive. He suddenly felt grateful James had pushed him to hire an assistant. 

“You know, when we set up my account my boyfriend told me much the same thing.”

Az looked up at him quizzically.

“That I should follow artists I like.”

Az smiled again. “He sounds like a smart man.”

“He’s brilliant. He’s actually the one that encouraged me to hire a social strategist,” Teddy smiled at her before continuing, “So, do you think you can start on Saturday? Or would you rather wait until next Monday? Either way, I want to start getting some more content up before next Thursday.”

“Why such a tight deadline?”

When Teddy told her about Jason Fischer’s impending visit, he thought he might need to cast a charm to lift her jaw off his floor.

* * *

After speaking with Az, Teddy felt inspired to create a new piece to hang in the front room of his studio before Jason Fischer’s visit - he just didn’t know what he wanted to make. He was still cultivating ideas when he and James took an impromptu expedition that evening to the Wizarding block of Greenwich Village, which was slightly different than its No-Maj counterpart, offering various Wizarding antique stores and other oddities amidst very trendy new restaurants. Walking along Teddy and James stopped in to eat at a small bistro that served elegant looking French cuisine. Opting to split a couple entrees, they were working their way through an appetizer of smoked duck risotto resting on a bed of artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. Teddy silently thanked Merlin for the tenth time that day that he’d chosen to get a little more dressed up than usual. 

“I officially have a publication date for my article - it’s in its final editing phase,” James announced. 

Teddy pushed down his sadness at the thought of James completing his work in New York and going back home and forced himself to smile. “Oh yeah? When is that?”

“Next week. They want it to headline the weekly issue. And I think we have enough evidence and lawyer protection for an airtight case. It’s a step in the right direction.”

“What will you do after the article is out?” Teddy asked, suddenly not super hungry.

“Well Luna has asked me if I want to stay in New York until the holidays working as The Quibbler’s main correspondent for the rest of the year. We figure that there is going to be plenty of follow-up news once this scandal breaks.”

“And what did you tell her?”

“What do you think I told her?” James shot him a look that said he’d have to be mad to want to leave. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

Teddy felt like he could actually breathe again, eyeing the food with a renewed hunger. “I’m glad you’re staying for a while,” Teddy smiled with relief. 

“Me too,” James grinned. “So what's new with you?”

“Well, Az actually came into the studio today,” Teddy said while taking a bite, warm risotto creamy and rich on his tongue.

“Az. Az who?” 

“Azumi. You remember? My new social media assistant. Though, she’s got so much more knowledge on the subject than me. I’m thinking of dubbing her social media maven - it’s certainly an apt title.”

“Oh that’s right! How did the meeting go?”

“Good. She accepted the position.” Teddy took another spoonful of the risotto. It really was heavenly.

“That’s good,” James smiled encouragingly. “You must like her then.”

“Yeah, I think I really do. In fact, she had a lot of similar advice as you did.”

“Oh yeah?” James asked, cocking his head to the side, “like what?”

“Like posting more often, for one. And following artists I like, for another. Actually, that reminds me, she recognized my new sketchbook from an account of one of the artists _she_ follows - RedDragonLeather. I know you said that Hermione had it specially commissioned but you never mentioned she got it from an artist off MajGram.”

“To be fair, I think that artist has an account on the Felixie marketplace as well,” James muttered. A flash of fear crossed his face, darkening his normally golden yellow features for a brief moment, but it was gone so fast Teddy thought he must have imagined it. 

“Oh, so you do know them!” Teddy teased, “I took some time browsing the account. They’re very talented.”

A blush spread across the apples of James’ cheeks. He seemed unusually uncertain as he said, “Yeah, I do know him.” Words spoken he seemed to regain his confidence, “Or, rather, know who it is. Or where, ern. Teddy, there’s something I should probably tell you-”

He was interrupted as the waitress set down an artfully arranged plate of gnocchi resting on a bed of sunchokes and mushrooms in the middle of their table.

“Bon appétit,” she smiled. “Can I get you gentleman anything else?”

James shook his head and offered her his most charming smile, his face instantly alight. “No, we’re all set, thanks. But this looks _wonderful,_ ” James gushed. “I can’t wait to try it.”

The waitress laughed. “You picked two of my favorite items on the menu. Enjoy! I’ll be back to check on you later.” 

Teddy watched her leave and leaned forward. “What did you want to tell me, James?” he asked, watching his boyfriend take the first bite of the newly delivered dish. Looking that sexy while eating really should be illegal, Teddy decided.

“Mmmm, you know, this is a place Al would really love,” James said almost wistfully in between bites of his food, clearly deflecting. “If he ever comes to visit, we will have to bring him here.”

“I thought he was vegan?” Teddy asked.

“Well, his restaurant is going to be, but he’s not. Just very vegan friendly. And even if he was there are plenty of things on this menu he could still order. By Merlin, could you imagine mum’s reaction if he didn’t eat any animal products at all? I think she would keel over!” he laughed.

“Is your mum still upset that he’s opening a vegan restaurant?”

James shrugged, “Not so much now that he’s further along - think she’s getting used to the idea. I mean he’s signed a lease and everything. Got a prime spot in the heart of Diagon Alley. Mum told me they’ve been making all the necessary renovations at top speed. He should be ready to open before the start of the new year, though I think she’ll force him to wait until after Christmas. Also, this dish is amazing - you should really try it, Teddy. I am completely tempted to order a second, but now that I’m not training anymore I gotta watch my physique, you know?” Winking at Teddy as he took another bite, letting out a small sound that Teddy was more used to hearing while they were in bed. 

Two can play at that game Teddy thought, grabbing his fork. He held it out over the gnocchi and leaned forward in what he hoped was a seductive move, “Are you ever going to tell me what I should know?“

“Maybe. Or maybe I already did.”

“What? The stuff about Al?”

James just winked.

With their plates cleared and stomachs full, the two boys walked around Wizarding Greenwich, or Greenwitch as the Wizarding community still called it since that was technically its name. It was named in memoriam of Wizarding America's struggle against the Green Witch. Teddy still remembered the horror on Troy's face after being introduced to the No-Maj's documentary of the events, The Wizard of Oz. “But _how_ is it so wildly inaccurate?” He remembered Troy asking, his eyes wide in disbelief, while Teddy had tried hard not to burst out laughing.

They spent some time walking around the shops before a turquoise teapot in the window of a small antique shop caught Teddy's eye. He ducked inside for a closer look, grabbing James by the arm to playfully pull him along behind. The teapot was clearly old with intricately carved lines that formed petals that flowed upward towards the top where miniature three dimensional creatures had been sculpted out of clay - one looked like a mouse, another suspiciously like a small deer. Based on the techniques used, Teddy guessed it to be Korean, or at least of Asian origin. While it didn’t give off a magical signature, its color, which flowed off the piece in reassuring waves, was only a few shades off from his hair. 

Completely enamored, he turned around to show James, but his boyfriend had already wandered off toward the back of the shop in disinterest. Teddy took a break from admiring the beautiful piece to stare after James, or rather shamelessly stare at James' arse. James had decided not to wear robes today and it was positively criminal how good he looked.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” squeaked a voice. 

Teddy looked down and was startled to see a short, old witch standing there. It took him a minute to realize she was talking about the teapot.

“Oh. Oh! Yes. Yes, it is,” he reassured her.

“It’s a fairly new piece for our store - we just got it imported. I had Jerry place it in the window just the other night. Good boy, that Jerry. Helps out entirely too much for no pay - my late-husband’s son, you see, but he still comes around to help. He’s not mine and, well, I suppose he’s not a boy either, not anymore. Certainly not compared to you anyway,” she looked Teddy up and down as best she could being so short. “It’s so nice to see young people still admiring antiques, I thought you had all moved on to those newfangled phone thingies. And the WizNet. All about that WizNet. Anyway, we just put that one out on display and I was honestly hoping someone would come along and give it a good home so I don’t have to buy it for myself.” Laughing at her own joke, she stepped closer to the teapot, which was still a good two feet above her head. “If you want to see it up close you’ll have to get it down, I’m afraid. I don’t like using magic on these old artifacts. Not that it would hurt them. Just call it the oddities of an old witch.”

Teddy reached out and gingerly removed the teapot from its spot on the shelf, following her to the register. “How much are you asking for it?” he asked, setting it down on the counter.

“35 Dragots. It’s not that old and has no magical signature. Just fine craftsmanship and very nice sculptural elements.”

Teddy nodded in agreement. The piece kind of drew him in, begging to be drawn, reinterpreted, and reimagined for a different audience. He couldn't imagine leaving without it. Channeling some of James’ charm, he talked the woman down to 30 Dragots and left the store with his newly wrapped purchase under his arm and James shaking his head behind him.

“I can’t believe you bought that old lamp,” James joked as soon as they walked outside.

Teddy shrugged, “It's a teapot. And I liked it. It inspired me.”

James reached to take Teddy’s hand and threaded their fingers together. Somehow it felt like James was staking a claim of sorts. James gave a light squeeze, “I thought I inspired you?”

Teddy smiled. “You do,” he said seriously before he changed his tone and tried to gesture towards the teapot without dropping it, “but you have some competition.”

“A silly, old lamp? I know I can beat out a silly, old lamp!” James’ tone was confident.

“A lamp? Sure, you can beat a lamp. But,” Teddy gave James’ hand a small squeeze before lowering his voice, “can you beat a teapot?”

James’ laughter rang out tightly into the New York air, “Alright, Mr. Lupin, tell me all the delightfully wonderful ways this teapot is more inspiring than me.”

And that was how, by the time they returned back to his flat, Teddy had fleshed out an idea for his newest piece. 

He purchased a large piece of masonite off MajiZon. 60x108 inches, Teddy had to run the conversions to make sure he got the right size, and planned to have it delivered to his studio doorstep. 

It arrived Friday morning before he was even awake. Taking advantage of his day off, Teddy slept in until nearly noon, only stirring briefly when James had kissed him goodbye. Once up, showered and dressed, he grabbed his bag and new teapot before marching down the street to grab a bagel from the shop next door before walking to the nearest Apparation coordinates and Apparating to the spot near his studio.

Seeing the large package blocking his doorway he muttered his locking charm password and aimed his wand. ‘ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ’ - the incarnation flowed off his lips and the package lifted into the air. Teddy gently maneuvered it inside where he laid it down on the floor next to his work station.

Shaking off his robe, he carefully set up the teapot on his table before returning to unwrap the large package with child-like exuberance. Opening new art supplies was always like Christmas morning and with each passing year he found more pleasure in unwrapping new supplies as he embraced the part of himself that his Gran had tried to suppress when he was younger.

Some days he found being an adult very freeing.

Teddy’s vision for the masonite was to tell an abstract story of creation and destruction set against a primary color study. Turning on some ‘90s punk rock and casting _Sonorus_ to amplify the music, Teddy conjured up three tape lines to divide his slab into three equal sections: the first to have a solid red background, the middle a deep blue, and the final section a yellow, all before he layered additional elements on top. Mixing the colors he wanted took no time at all, he was going for primary colors after all. Satisfied, he painted on each color block, reveling in the differences between their vibrations, all three notes ringing out like a chord. 

Base coat completed, he ordered in take-away Chinese food while he waited for the bottom layers to dry, sparing a glance at his MajGram account while he had a moment. Feeling bold, he took a few photos of his work-in-progress and sent them off to Az in the hopes that maybe she could figure out how to use them.

Once the base layer had dried, Teddy began work on the third section, sketching out the silhouette of the teapot. The shape was very traditional and curvaceous but the monochrome lined pattern he planned to recreate would off-set that giving it an art deco edge of sorts. Crawling about on a large masonite slab, he outlined the silhouette. Then he set about the task of detailing the small animals around the top, they were going to have to be very solid shapes in order for anyone to be able to notice them in the finished product. He was detailing out the little deer at the top when a loud crack followed by a crash caused him to look up. James stood there sheepishly, looking down at the pieces of teapot that were now strewn across the floor. The music stopped playing.

“Teddy! No! I am so sorry. I’m still not used to these Apparition coordinates they use here - and I didn’t really want to use the main point around the corner anyway because I wanted to surprise you! Didn’t have a clue that I would be Apparating into an old - was that a lamp?”

“That was my new teapot.” Teddy looked up slightly cross from his spot on the floor. “Are you okay?” 

James nodded, blushing apologetically. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to,” James' voice sounded small in the proffered apology. There was a beat as Teddy stared up at him, watching as James’ face changed, his eyes clouded with mischief. Drawing himself up he playfully posed in a manner similar to that of his Witch Weekly cover shoots. Flashing a golden grin he turned on his charm, “but you still have to admit - I am way better looking then a silly old teapot.” 

“Indeed,” Teddy agreed before deciding a little payback was in order. He teased, “I know you didn’t like it, but you didn’t have to break it. What did it ever do to you?”

“Other than take away the attention of the most amazing man in the universe?”

“Are you seriously jealous of a teapot?” Teddy laughed dryly. “James, you have all my attention. I thought we talked about this last night. And I thought you liked when I create things,” his voice grew softer despite flashbacks to similar conversations with Victoire and others - it always came down to competition from his art.

James shook his head, sadness in his eyes. He dropped down to his knees, careful not to touch the painting and avoid the shards, and reached out to caress Teddy’s face. “Teddy, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Teddy drew himself up, leaning into the touch. It felt warm and reassuring. “Then how did you mean it?”

“All that I was trying to say was that _I_ wanted to be your muse. That’s what I was trying to tell you, albeit less directly, last night.”

That brought Teddy up short. He thought of James intertwining their fingers, metaphorically staking his claim. 

“I want to be your muse. I want to be the one that inspires you - like that teapot does or anything else you deem worthy of filling that role. I didn’t mean anything negative by it. Didn’t realize I had pushed too far,” sincerity shown in James’ eyes as they looked directly into Teddy’s. Understanding dawned as he realized James wasn’t criticizing his art, or even his taste in china. Instead, in his own way, he was asking for more of Teddy - even if he hadn’t gone about it in the clearest communication possible. 

Suddenly feeling much more calm, Teddy reached out for his wand and cast _Repario,_ watching as the shards reformed themselves back into their original shape. Satisfied that the teapot was repaired well enough, he allowed himself to return his gaze back to James. “So, was that your way of apologizing or saying ‘Oi-Teddy, draw me?’”

“That was my way of telling you to use me - in any way you want. Of trying to say I love you completely, even if I bollocksed it about a bit. And my way of saying I’m sorry for breaking your teapot - though I’d still believe it was a lamp if you hadn't just repaired it,” James gave a weak smile as he tried to end with the joke. 

“Hmm,” Teddy tried not to chuckle as he stood up. Reaching down he pulled James up with him, eyes trailing down James’ body as he rose from the floor. Even fully clothed he could not deny the effect James had on him and couldn’t stay angry for long. 

Deciding they needed a do-over on their hullos, Teddy closed the space between them and snogged James soundly in greeting, pressing himself forward slightly before pulling back to look into his eyes. “Love,” he said softly ruffling James' hair, “you don’t need to model for me to be my muse.”

“No?” James sounded a little breathless.

“Nope.” Teddy learned down to snog him again.

“Why is that?” James asked, curiously.

“Because, I don’t need you to model for me to draw you. I can draw you from memory.”

“Oh really?” James challenged.

“Really.” Teddy ran his right hand under James’ shirt, feeling the soft skin beneath his fingertips. He pressed himself closer, his groin pressing against James’, a few mere layers of fabric all that stood between them pressing skin to skin. “I know every curve,” Teddy declared as he felt his heart pound in his chest, “every muscle. I know how your face becomes golden when you smile. I know how your eyes light up when you get really passionate about something.” 

As if on cue James' eyes brightened and Teddy felt he might lose himself in them. He pulled James closer, falling in love with him all over again.

“I know every freckle, every birthmark,” Teddy continued as he kissed James’ neck before moving his lips up towards his ear, as his hand traveled down to stroke James’ through his pants. “I know every inch of your cock,” Teddy purred, relishing the feeling of finding James already hard for him.

James moaned, “Oh yes, _Teddy!”_ He melted forward, tugging at Teddy’s henley before lifting it over his head. Shedding the layer of fabric, Teddy took the opportunity to tug at the bottom of James’ t-shirt, indicating he should do the same. Now shirtless Teddy leaned into the touch, enjoying the feeling of their bodies pressed together perfectly, like two halves of a whole. 

Kissing down James’ torso, Teddy sank down to his knees. Now eye level with the button on James’ jeans, Teddy ran his fingers lightly under the waistband along James’ hips, teasing and reveling in the small gasps James was making. Encouraged by all James’ moans, Teddy yanked both James’ jeans and boxer briefs down then paused a moment to enjoy the view. 

“Teddy!” James sounded so very sexy and eager to Teddy.

Softly Teddy let out a breath onto James' balls and watched them contract ever so slightly before releasing again, causing James' cock to engorge even further and making his skin flush deeper. Teddy took a moment to admire the reaction he’d caused before leaning forward to take James’ hard cock in his mouth, slowly tasting every inch. He was hit by the intoxicating taste and the smell of James - hints of clove, cinnamon and natural musk all mingling together to drive him wild. 

James’ hands reached down to tangle in his hair and Teddy could feel his own cock twitch in his pants, seeking release, but he ignored it. Quickening his pace, Teddy sucked hard for a while, giving all his attention to making James cum for him. James' fingertips mingled in turquoise hair as Teddy made love to James' cock with his mouth - the taste of precum blissfully sweet on his tongue. It was almost enough to make Teddy finish without so much as a single touch to himself.

James let out a particularly deep moan and dropped his hand from Teddy’s head. Teddy gave a few more quick sucks before pulling away to look up at James’ face. 

“Does it feel good?” he asked, stroking James' spit-slick cock and fondling his balls in the absence of Teddy's mouth.

“Yes, feels so good. Better than good,” came James’ breathless reply as he looked down at Teddy, his eyes bright. “You’re amazing.” 

Teddy could feel the blush spread across his cheeks so he turned his attention back to James’ cock. Taking him back in his mouth once more he reached around to grab his ass, squeezing affectionately. Teddy ran his tongue up and down the underside of Jame’s cock, twirling it around the tip before engulfing him again, taking him all the way to his balls. On impulse, he lifted his fingers up to James' mouth, which James immediately began sucking on. The soft, wet warmth of James' mouth and tongue swirling around his digits caused Teddy to moan around James' cock. His own cock was painfully hard in his pants as he pulled his hand from James’ mouth and inserted a finger into James’ tight hole. 

“Oh! _Teddy_ ,” James moaned, his cock jumping in Teddy’s mouth as his hole stretched to welcome the finger, spreading to fit snugly around the digit. Taking in James’ cock all the way to the base, Teddy inserted a second finger, lightly pressing as it sank into James’ arse alongside the first one searching for the sweet spot. 

“Oh Teddy, Teddy! Teddy, I’m gonna cum.”

“Yes, cum for me, James,” Teddy took a quick breath before reclaiming James’ cock. 

Teddy sucked hard, feeling James spill his seed down the back of his throat. Teddy swallowed every last drop like it was chocolate ice cream, licking his lips as he stood up to kiss James full on the lips and began pressing his own erection into James’ side.

James’ hand slipped down into his jeans to curl around the base of Teddy’s cock. He pumped once, twice, three times and that was all Teddy needed for his brain to melt into pure bliss. All too soon he was cumming, James’ name on his lips and love radiating throughout his body.

“Damn Teddy,” James sounded breathless,“I will have to remember this for future. I mean, I’ll try never to piss you off again but - fuck - the sex was great,” James said, bringing Teddy back to himself, claiming Teddy’s lips again before settling his cheek against his chest and wrapping his arms securely around Teddy’s torso. “I love you.”

Teddy couldn’t see James’ face but he could visualize the golden yellow waves pooling in the air around them - James, in the middle of his studio, tucking into his side and holding tightly with Teddy's incomplete painting laying on the floor and his newly repaired teapot sitting alone on the table. Somehow everything felt perfect. 

Moving to kiss the top of James’ head, Teddy smiled. “I wasn’t really upset anymore when we got started,” he confessed, “I was trying to make a point. I fell in love with you because of a million things you never knew you were doing that make you so very perfect for me. You were already my muse. You always were.”

James looked up at him, expression bright. “Really?” he whispered, hope and love coloring the question. He held onto Teddy like he would never let him go. 

“I love you, my muse. And I keep what’s mine,” Teddy said with as much conviction as he could muster and hugged James back tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who might be interested, Teddy's found teapot was inspired by this Korean antique: https://bit.ly/2XYdi5Q  
> (If anyone knows how to link in chapter notes please let me know?)
> 
> Thank you guys for all the love this past week with your Comments, Kudos and general wonderfulness. Between this fic and Masquerade posting this week, I've really been feeling the love from our Jeddy community - it reminds me how much I love these two together and how much fun I have writing them!
> 
> For more, find me on Tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/ - or post a Comment below ^_^


	15. Fields of Green

**Chapter 15 - Fields of Green**

Having already risen with the sun, per his usual tendencies, James Apparated back from his morning run and walked into their bedroom calling, “Good morning, Sunshine!” only to find Teddy already up and shoving his sketchbook and supplies into his bag. 

“Hi, you,” Teddy greeted affectionately, albeit a bit hurriedly. It was Saturday, and despite Az not working again until Monday and James technically having the day off, Teddy still had work appointments to keep. “If you’re not doing anything later, can you come by the studio around 3pm or so? Trust me, you’ll want to stop by.”

“Of course I’ll be there, “James happily replied, a hint of mischief alight in his eyes. “Now, _why_ am I trusting you again?”

His teasing tone made Teddy laugh. Leaning over he kissed James on the cheek and breathed in his scent, his sweat smelling oddly like cinnamon and cloves. “It’s a surprise,” Teddy confessed playfully, “but I promise you’ll like it.” 

With James giving his word that he would stop by at three, Teddy headed off to his studio. He’d asked James to come by because Robert Green was due to come in for his final sitting that afternoon. Teddy had kept the upcoming session a secret because he wanted to surprise James, but he also wanted to surprise Robert with the introduction. Based on their previous conversations, Teddy thought the hall-of-famer would actually enjoy meeting James. It would be an interesting contrast, the former face of American quidditch next to the current, or perhaps more accurately also former, face of British quidditch.

Robert showed up precisely at noon with an unexpected plus one: a young girl, who Teddy guessed to be no older than five, tucked in tight by his side. It was clear the two were related, their dark skin a perfect match and her tight curls a mirror image of his own hair. In her hand she clutched a large box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, holding it in front of herself as Robert maneuvered them both inside.

“Hullo,” Teddy greeted with a smile, moving to shake Robert’s hand before he turned to address the young girl. "And who might you be, Princess?" he asked her with a smile, crouching down to be at her level. In response she tucked her head into Robert’s robes. Teddy stood back up as Robert’s hand came down to pat her head. 

“Oh, Karina, it’s okay,” he reassured the girl, trying to coax her out. “Teddy meet Karina, my granddaughter.” His pride was evident, bright vibrations practically slamming into Teddy. “I hope you don’t mind her joining me today. My daughter was called away unexpectedly and needed a last minute sitter, and I didn’t want to cancel our appointment at the 11th hour. Karina, this is Teddy Lupin, remember I told you we were going to see his art studio today?”

She looked up at this, her eyes widening. “Are you the one who’s gonna paint my Papa?”

“I already did paint your Papa,” he told her gently. “Do you want to come see?”

She nodded, so Teddy held out his hand and led her and Robert to his work station where he had already set up the nearly complete painting for its final session. Lifting it off the easel, he held it out so Karina could inspect it. He watched as her eyes wandered across the canvas as recognition dawned on her face. She pointed and shrieked, "It's Papa!", motioning for her grandfather to come closer. 

Robert chuckled and reached down to pick her up, setting her on his hip. “It is,” he agreed, “and at the end of the session my image will talk to you too.”

“Really?” Karina asked, her honey-brown eyes wide. “Like Great-grandpappy’s does?”

Robert nodded, “Exactly.”

As the two chatted, Teddy busied himself with final preparations before conjuring a couch into the room and inviting the pair to sit. Karina climbed up into the corner before Robert sat down beside her. She held out her box of Every Flavour Beans to him. He opened the packaging for her before passing it back.

“Careful with those,” Teddy warned warmly, “wouldn’t want to get earwax.”

Karina giggled as she reached into the box and pulled a handful of three beans holding them out to Teddy.

“Are these for me?” he asked. She nodded, transferring them into his hand before reaching back in and pulling out another handful for herself.

“Thank you,” Teddy said. There had once been a time, years ago, when he had fancied the beans. They had been his second favorite candy after chocolate and he could always tell by the vibrations of their colors alone what flavor they were likely to be. While at Hogwarts, this had been a small party-trick he’d used to win a couple of bets and had ended up with his fair share of Sickles in his pocket. Once he had even gotten a Galleon off a Ravenclaw who had been convinced no one could possibly know the flavor just by looking at the candy. Teddy had wiped that smug look off her face when he’d proven her wrong. Looking down into his palm, he saw Karina had handed him a red-ish pink bean that Teddy knew to be strawberry, a lime green one that ironically would taste like green apple instead, and an orange bean flavored like a pumpkin latte. Teddy sampled the orange one first.

“She loves those beans,” Robert explained. “I hate to say it, but they make for good bribes.” He laughed at her, but it was a purely kindhearted laugh that carried his love and affection and caused Karina to giggle with him. It was certainly not the sort of laugh that a five year old Teddy would have been used to hearing from his Gran. 

“Ooo Grandpa! Papa!” Karina reached over to pull on the edge of his robes. Robert turned to look at her and she pulled him down to whisper a loud secret in his ear, “Can I paint pretty pictures like Mr. Lupin?” She was clearly excited by the idea.

“Do you want to?” Teddy asked before Robert could answer. She looked up, obviously surprised that Teddy had heard her, but she recovered from it quickly, nodding enthusiastically. 

Teddy held up one finger, indicating for the pair to wait, as he disappeared to grab a tin of old crayons and a stack of blank parchment. Returning with the supplies, he conjured up a small coffee table, set everything on it, and beckoned Karina to come over and color. Excitedly she crawled off the couch, turning around to grab her box of beans before moving to sit on the floor in front of the table. 

“Here you are,” Teddy said smiling, “and you can call me Teddy if you want to.” He picked up a teal crayon and wrote his name in block font down on the paper in front of her, casting a small wordless spell to make the letters move in a banner across the page, pinging off the edges and bouncing to the other side. She smiled happily. 

“Impressive magic there,” Robert said, smiling from the couch. “I am very excited to see how my likeness animates if that’s what you can do with letters.”

Teddy flushed with pride, “Well, this is not nearly as complex, but thank you.” He turned to Karina and said, “If you draw your name, or whatever else you want, on one of those pages I will cast the same spell for you before you leave.”

“Really?” she asked, delighted.

Teddy nodded and she immediately pulled out a new page. Picking out a pink crayon, she diligently started in on her masterpiece. 

“That should keep her occupied for a bit, thank you,” Robert said. “Should we get started?”

The next couple of hours passed calmly as Teddy infused Robert’s personality and memories into his portrait. Robert filled the time telling him stories of his granddaughter.

“She’s only just turned five and she already knows all her letters and colors - plus you should see her fly on her training broom! Takes after me that way, Merlin knows my daughter has no talent for the sport - sadly. Anyway, she attends the local Wizarding Kinder-care and her teachers always have glowing things to say. And, as you can see, she makes friends fairly easily - once she gets over her shyness. Her mother, my daughter, is a widow, so I try to spend as much time with Karina as I can. I figure a strong male influence is her life is a good idea.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your son-in-law,” Teddy offered his sincere condolences. He looked over at Karina, who was humming to herself as she drew on her latest piece of parchment - half the coffee table was already covered with her completed works. 

“He was actually a wonderful wizard. His death was unexpected and terribly tragic. It robbed my daughter of her husband and my granddaughter of her father before she even had a chance to know him.” 

Teddy’s heart went out to the girl who would never know her father, just as he would never know his. “I know what it is to grow up without parents,” he confided, “and I’m terribly sorry.”

Robert offered him a sad smile, “As long she grows up happy and healthy, that’s all I can ask.”

By the time he heard James arrive at his studio, through the front door this time, Robert’s portrait was complete. Teddy had wrapped up the final project in parchment for transport and handed it over to Robert, “Here you are. The animation charms will kick in within 24-hours from the time of casting. I put a time delay on my pieces so people can have time to get them into frames up on their walls. If you need more time, let me know? I would recommend not Apparating with it if you can find a Floo, or other mode of transportation, but if you have to Apparate it won’t hurt it. Just make sure you don’t shrink it or splinch it.”

“Thank you, Teddy. Do you think I could use the restroom before we head out?” he asked, glancing over at Karina. She was busily coloring away, the coffee table now completely filled with her drawings - a house in a field, some scribbles, one that looked suspiciously like a teddy bear. There was even one where she looked like she tried to draw herself holding a wand, surrounding her image with a silver frame, alongside one of her and her grandpa on broomsticks. Teddy smiled.

Teddy gestured to the door. “Help yourself,” he said before turning to Karina. He sat down beside her, “You’ve been so patient sitting here. I know I promised to animate your name earlier. Wanna show me what you’ve made?”

Karina smiled wide and reached for the sheet with her name on it. Teddy cast the appropriate spell and watched her eyes dance as she followed her name around the page. Thinking about it a second more, he also charmed the drawing of her and her grandpa on broomsticks so they would fly about the page. Satisfied that she was sufficiently entertained for the moment, Teddy stood up and turned to see James leaning in the doorway, his stance dashingly casual and expression adoring. Teddy felt his heart skip a beat.

“Hullo,” James said, stepping away from the door and crossed the room, “and who is this?”

Karina stopped stacking her drawings for a moment to look up at James. 

“This is Karina Green,” Teddy introduced, “her Grandpa had his final sitting today. He just stepped out to use the loo.”

He barely got the words out of his mouth before James eyes widened in realization as Robert returned to collect his granddaughter. He stopped when he noticed the new presence in the room.

“Robert, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to. This is James Potter. James, this is Robert Green and his granddaughter, Karina.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Green. I think yours was one of the first chocolate frog cards I ever received!” James held out his hand while smiling brightly, “I hope you don’t mind my saying so but I am a big admirer of your career.” 

“Mr. Potter,” Robert greeted, shaking James’ hand. “I could say the same to you. Greatest Chaser Wynwood would have seen in years, had you stayed. Though, I heard through the grape-vine that Puddlemere United offered you a contract. Will you be playing with them in the near future?”

James blushed and flicked his eyes towards the floor. Teddy wondered if he was embarrassed.

“No, I’m afraid I’ve stepped away from Quidditch for the time being, Mr. Green.”

“Shame,” Robert said, “but admirable. It takes a great deal of bravery to step down when one’s at the top of his game. And please call me Robert.”

“Thank you, Robert.”

“I think,” Robert continued, “we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. Though I imagine you hear that all the time.”

James’ blush looked adorable to Teddy. “Please call me James.”

“Well James, I am certain you’ll chase whatever you’ve chosen to do,” Robert offered casually, moving to collect his granddaughter who held out her stack of art to him. Collecting it up in his arms and levitating his portrait in front of him, he joined the rest of them as they moved out to the front room.

“Thank you, Teddy,” Robert held out his hand to shake before recollecting his granddaughter’s considerably smaller one. “Your work is exemplary and I am very happy. I will definitely be recommending you in the future.” 

“You’re very welcome,” Teddy replied as the pair turned to leave.

“Bye, Mr. Teddy,” Karina called, waving back to him.

“Buh-bye!” Teddy waved back.

“Wait, just one question?” James called out, a charming smile on his face.

“Yes?” 

“What was it like? To play Chaser at the World Cup?”

Robert paused, contemplating the question, his eyebrows narrowed a little in concentration. When he finally replied it was Teddy he looked at. “Freeing. Freeing and clearing.”

Teddy found the answer resonated with him, an exact match to how he felt when painting.

* * *

The remainder of Saturday passed quickly as James gushed on about meeting his idol. “It was so great, best surprise ever really! Did I thank you already, Teddy? I can’t thank you enough. I got to shake his hand! He’s a living Quidditch _legend_!”

Teddy laughed. “Isn’t your mum a living Quidditch legend?”

James made a face, “That’s entirely different and you know it!”

“Is it?”

The teasing had earned him a pillow to the face, but the thank yous had earned him many more kisses besides. Teddy wanted to ask, “Do you think you’ll ever tell me why you didn’t take the Puddlemere contract?” but had seen the dark shadows across James’ face whenever it was brought up and he didn’t want to bring down the mood. He hoped James would feel comfortable telling him someday.

Now late Sunday night, Teddy and James found themselves lying on the floor in the front room of his studio looking up at Teddy’s newest piece, which took up most of the entire wall above the doorway to his portrait sitting room. Teddy had worked diligently all day to make sure he got it completed: first he had poured a yellow paint splat over the red background of the first section with a bit of splatter having made its way into the second section where Teddy had then drawn an outline of the Hogwarts castle in grey ink, creating a blue-grey Gothic silhouette, before finally he’d completed the third section with a final version of his teapot set against a monochrome design of deer antlers and birds which was all framed in the dark yellow of the background. James had sat in the corner, quill in hand, editing a large stack of parchment. Every so often, Teddy had looked over, having felt like he was being watched, only to catch James staring at him. His boyfriend had seemed enthralled, with eyes that never stopped watching his hands as he worked.

By the time they ordered in dinner, Teddy was layering on his animation spells: one for making the little animals on the top of the teapot move, another to make the yellow splatter pulse slightly in and out. At the last minute he added a third one to the Hogwarts castle lines, making them blur slowly in and out of focus. Overall he was satisfied with the final product and together he and James levitated it up onto the wall - Teddy casting the levitation charm placing the piece just-so and James invoking the sticking charm.

Hard work complete, Teddy laid back on the floor to admire his work. James joined in beside him, limbs splayed out, one hand on Teddy’s thigh, the other on his own stomach. He was a feast for Teddy’s eyes, as amazing as the piece he’d just created and equally as fulfilling, if not moreso.

“What is this supposed to represent Teddy?” James asked.

“Huh?” Teddy asked, distracted by the lines of James’ limbs.

“This piece. I like it. The Hogwarts outline is haunting and I can see how you used the teapot - I’ll confess, I didn’t fully understand it before now. But now I see it balances out the end over here,” he reached up his hand and made small circles in the direction of the right end of the painting.

Teddy felt his lips turn up into a soft smile. “What do you think it says?” he prompted, interested in James’ answer before providing his own.

“To be honest, I’m not sure, which is why I asked,” James replied. “But, if pressed, I would say it’s a story of lost and found. Of moving from the ambiguous to the solid.”

“There’s no right and wrong when it comes to interpreting art. It’s all about what speaks to you,” Teddy reassured, slipping his arm under James and pulling him closer.

“I know that,” James laughed and leaned into Teddy. “But, as painter-extraordinaire, what does it mean to you?”

“Painter-extraordinaire?” Teddy chuckled, “That’s a new one...”

“Well, it’s true. Now stop avoiding the question, Ted-ster.”

“Well,” Teddy took a breath, “To me, it depicts the story of creation and destruction, set against the constant of the primary colors. I imagine the yellow, blue and red to be a kind of metaphor for the Earth - or morning, noon, and night,” Teddy moved his hand in the general direction of each segment as if to illustrate. “Either way, they are the solids of time and the planet.”

James nodded, turning his face towards Teddy, urging him to continue.

“It can be read both backwards and forwards. If you read it backwards, so-to-speak, you get a story of a solid foundation breaking apart and giving way to destruction. But,” He looked down at James, “If you read it from left to right, the paint-splat illustrates destruction, Hogwarts the creation - rising from the ashes - and the teapot, new beginnings - a domestic life. Home.” 

James' eyes flashed. “That’s incredibly deep,” he sounded almost awed as his eyes traced the shadow of the tiny deer prancing around the top of the teapot. “I know you feel like my home in the chaos, sometimes. Like how that teapot is supporting the deer and holding something warm inside.”

Teddy’s insides did a funny flip, and he squeezed James tight, “Did you just compare me to a lamp?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

The chuckle out of James was light and sweet. “Well, I have it on good authority I am a much sexier muse.” 

They smiled and laid there in comfortable silence for a while, watching the shadows bounce off of the animated portions of the piece. Then James’ small voice radiated into the room.

“Teddy, I’m scared.”

James’ unshakable confidence was worryingly absent. Teddy tightened his grip. 

“My article - it’s submitted and ready to publish Monday. No more edits, no more changes. And it’s going to be the first major article with my name on it,” he looked weary. “But with the whole Madison-debacle in the headlines recently I am afraid the backlash will come and hit me, and not President Quahog. What if there’s no impact at all? What if nothing happens? What if people call _me_ the liar?” James' voice climbed in both speed and pitch as he became more and more frantic. 

Rolling over so he was on top of James, Teddy forced the other man to look him in the eye. James’ impossibly rich eyes were full of admiration and love, but the muted vibrations from the lines of his face showed Teddy that he was worried. Teddy wanted to kiss all those fears away. “Jamie, listen to me. You are a brilliant writer. I am positive that what you have written is worthy of publication and that you have more than enough information to expose the truth. It’s a brave thing you’re doing but it’s the right thing. Anything else we will work through together.” He sealed this speech with a kiss to prove his point. His hair, ever turquoise around James, grew an inch or two longer to blanket them from the rest of the world.

“It will be okay,” he reassured, running his hands through James’ hair.

“How do you know?” James’ voice sounded incredibly small.

Teddy cocked his head slightly, the answer plain. “Because,” he said sincerely, “we have each other. Happily ever after, remember? Someone told me recently, ‘we’re owed.’”

“I love you,” James breathed, pulling Teddy down for a hug, his warm breath hitting Teddy’s hair. “I love you so much.”

Teddy allowed himself to be pulled forward by James, who had buried his face in Teddy's neck and was now placing kisses there. Teddy guided James higher and kissed him deeply, which sent tingles down Teddy's spine. It felt like magic.

They snogged under the watch of Teddy’s newest painting until the moon settled high in the sky. They kissed with no urgency, moving slowly to savor every moment. When Teddy eventually pulled away, he slipped his hand into James’, entwining their fingers, his hold tight, and pressing the back of James’ hand into the floor. Their hands melted together. Teddy leaned down to whisper in James’ ear. “I love you. Irreplaceably. With everything that I have and all that I am.”

Feeling raw and vulnerable, Teddy slowly lifted his head at the end of his declaration to look at James’ face. Rose gold radiated out in waves, causing Teddy to feel warm. James’ eyes were impossibly wide with happiness, and he looked much like Teddy had felt, like someone had charmed all the air out of his lungs and he forgot how to breathe. It was a wondrous sight.

When James’ free-hand came up to cup Teddy’s face and pull him down for a kiss, it felt like a promise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15 marks the half-way point of Teddy's story! I love all you amazing Readers, Commenters, and Kudos-granters - each and every one of you all motivate and inspire me to keep writing/posting.
> 
> As always, join me on tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	16. Red Letter Day

**Chapter 16 - Red Letter Day**

James’ article wasn’t the only news that broke Monday morning.

“Oi- James!” called an urgent voice from Teddy’s living room, “Where are you?”

“Al?” James sat up, confused. Teddy rolled over - his phone screen read 4:32am. James tossed off the blankets, grabbed Teddy’s old Hufflepuff sweatshirt from the top of his dresser, and struggled a little in his panic to pull it over his head. It was a bit oversized, and in the darkness Teddy decided he rather liked seeing it on him, though he wondered if James had grabbed it by mistake. He didn’t have much time to admire the view though before James was off like a rocket towards the living room. Adrenaline spiked, Teddy rolled out of bed and followed him, albeit slightly slower, wishing desperately for a mocha. He scowled, all these early mornings were definitely making him a caffeine addict.

Al’s face hung, upset and worn, in Teddy’s fireplace. James slid down onto the floor in front of the flames, “Al? Al, what’s wrong?” he asked with urgency. “Are you okay?”

Al shook his head. His eyes look bloodshot and puffy like he’d been crying. “You didn’t hear, did you?” he asked.

“Hear what?” James looked confused.

“Rose,” Al gasped. “Rose proposed. To Scorpius.”

Teddy felt like his heart stopped for a moment. He glanced over at James who looked equally shocked but quickly composed himself. There was a beat of silence. And then-

“Oh _Merlin,_ Al! I’m so sorry. I truly am. But I thought something was seriously wrong!” James’ voice was a mixture of hysteria and relief. “I thought someone had _died_ , or worse!”

That seemed to knock some sense back into Al. He looked at James and shook his head. “Wha-? No! No, I mean no one _died_ . Why would you think _that_? No one’s dead! Except my dreams. I think my hope might be dead. Can hope be dead?” Ironically, his voice was full of hope as he asked the question, his eyes pleading to be reassured. Teddy felt his heart break for James’ younger brother.

“I thought someone was dead because it’s 4am in the bloody morning here and that’s early - even for me,” James’ voice became softer and more reassuring as he spoke. “And perhaps temporarily, but hope is very resilient.”

“Easy for you to say,” Al grumbled, looking directly at Teddy’s sweatshirt on James. Teddy thought he spotted a tear on Al’s cheek.

“Yeah, yeah it might be,” James’ voice sounded slightly pragmatic and Teddy wondered if he had inadvertently been the influence that had invoked the trait out of him. “But, we have to deal with reality. Rose proposed. To Scorpius. And he said yes, right?”

Al nodded, his face looked miserable.

“And, are they in love?”

Al nodded again, warily. “You’re not helping, James,” he spat out the words but his voice sounded sad.

“Just, hear me out,” James pleaded. “Scorp’s still your best friend, right?”

“Yeah,” Al breathed.

“And your business partner.”

Al nodded again, wiping a tear from his cheek.

“And you love him, and you’re not going to lose him, right? He’s not dying - he’s getting married.”

“Uh-huh,” Al confirmed, clearly still upset. “He asked me to be his best man.”

Teddy felt incredibly upset for Al and he could only imagine how James felt. James moved like he was going to grip Al’s shoulder through the fire, before pulling his hand back as he spoke. “Then be the greatest bloody best man you can be. Pour all your heart into it and try not to resist. Maybe, instead, see it as a lesson on how to let go?”

Al let out a humph. 

“Al? Al, listen to me,” James settled into the carpet, tucking his feet under himself. “You are fine. You are going to be fine. And you don’t want to be with someone who loves someone else anyway. Trust me on that one.”

Teddy’s eyebrows shot up at that, wondering what part of James' past he was pulling that particular advice from.

Al looked up at James, “But how do I just let him go?” he asked in a small voice.

James looked thoughtful for a moment before replying, “By being yourself. By being cunning and assertive and ambitious. By building up who you are and getting in touch with what you want. Like, for instance - I can think of an easy one. You’ve always told me you want three kids, like us. Does Scorpius?”

Teddy’s sleep-addled mind wondered if James wanted kids, he couldn’t recall him ever mentioning it.

“Just the one. His heir.” Al muttered under his breath.

“There you go, there’s one major difference right there. And there’s other values you’ve told me about over the years that are different too. I know he’s helping you to open your business and all, but he doesn’t actually want to cook, right?”

“He’s handling more of the management stuff,” Al confessed, dark cloud starting to lift from his face.

“See? He’s not going to go anywhere - you two make a good pair. Maybe just not in the way you want it.” James offered his brother a small smile.

“True,” Al conceded. “But then I guess we can’t all get our happily ever afters,” anger flared in his words, looking at Teddy for the first time.

“No,” Teddy offered slowly as he took a seat beside James, feeling all the while like he was barging in on a private conversation. “We can’t. But life is what you make of it, Al. We’re all human, trying to figure things out. Everyone has their cross to bear. And if Scorpius isn’t your one-and-only that’s okay, because someone out there _is_. Do you have any idea how many awful relationships I had to weed through before I found one that’s gold? I know it feels awful now, and it really, really hurts, but I promise you it will get better. In time.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Al asked.

“If it doesn’t, you can always come to New York,” Teddy offered. “I have a couch you can crash on. And I have it on good authority it's pretty damn comfy.”

Al’s lips held the ghost of a smile. 

“Al, you know we all like Scorpius,” James started speaking again, “But it’s you who I care about. You are my brother first.”

“Thanks, James. When did you get so wise?”

“It’s a gift,” James played the question off before concern settled into his features, radiating through the glow of the fireplace. “Do you think you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Least it isn’t 4am here,” Al attempted to smile with his joke.

“Good,” James looked satisfied, “I love you, and you can always call me for anything - 4am or otherwise. I’m sorry that I overreacted a bit there.”

“It’s okay,” Al said, “you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.”

The two brothers smiled at each other.

“If you need me, I’m here,” James insisted.

“I know. I’m sorry I woke you. We’ll talk later. I love you - both of you, gits. Now go - get some more sleep.”

Teddy thought that sounded like a solid plan, but James had other ideas. Flashing a grin he said with glee, “Oh, but that’s not how this works dearest-Albie-o-brother-of-mine. I am now up, thanks to you, and there’s a morning run and protein shake with my name on it.”

Al actually laughed as the Floo closed.

* * *

If James was worried about his brother, he never got the chance to really discuss it with Teddy. Nor did he give any further indication that he was worried about the impact his article would have beyond his confession the night before. Returning from his run, James gave Teddy a quick snog before heading off to WizWork with a hasty “I love you” and promised to be back around dinner. By the time Teddy had dragged himself out of bed, WWN headline notifications were already being pushed out to his phone.

**MACUSA PRESIDENT IN VIOLATION OF RAPPAPORT’S LAW**

New report provides irrefutable proof of relations of a sexual nature between MACUSA President Quahog and several No-Maj women. Quibbler reporter James Potter presented evidence…

Teddy bypassed the ad and clicked the Quibbler link to James’ article. Complete with photos, documentation, and other citations to back up each claim, James’ article was extensive as it leveled allegations against President Quahog, who had been having affairs with four known No-Maj women, possibly without their consent, and obliviating their memories when they no longer suited his needs. James had detailed out a surprising amount of information when it came to the No-Majs’ stories - particularly as three of the four of them had no memory of the events themselves to speak of - listing out their names, ages, and occupations. Only one of the women, Shannon Ridgewilde - Teddy remembered her as the Muggle in the picture James had shown him and Troy - appeared to have any memories of the President’s violations at all, which was remarkable under the circumstances. James never once named Madison Graves as his informant, but he did outline the President’s connections and those whom he believed to be accomplices. As his first meaningful publication, it was sensational - Teddy felt his pride swell at his boyfriend’s triumphant accomplishment. 

All morning long Teddy found himself contemplating what it must be like to be taken advantage of and violated in that way - to have not only your body but your mind raped as well. He had worked himself into a bit of an upset state by the time Az showed up for her first official day on the job, ranting on about the news.

“Did you see the headlines today? The WizNet boards are going crazy and the MuffiatoR-sphere has erupted! Everyone and their brother has something to say about it. The President himself is calling it ‘fake-news’ - like he's too good for a No-Maj himself!” she threw herself down into a chair exasperated. 

“You don’t think it’s fake-news, do you?” Teddy asked.

“No way!” Az said emphatically, “There is way too much damning evidence in the original article. I actually went back and read it, you know - not just the summaries that WWN and Spellbound published. Those were just money-grabs to capitalize on the real thing. The Quibbler had far too many details for any of it to be fabricated.”

Teddy nodded. “I feel really badly for those women,” he confessed, hanging his head.

“Me too. It all just goes to show that scummy men can make it all the way to the top.”

Teddy gave her a funny look.

“Hey! Don’t give me that look. I have never been a fan of President Quahog and I certainly didn’t vote for him. He never deserved to be voted back into office, always felt too slick to me somehow. Want to know who’s the real ‘fake-news’ in America? Joke’s on the MACUSA,” she looked slightly smug.

“I’m not his biggest fan either, but I don’t get a vote,” Teddy replied, thinking back to his first experiences with Wizarding America’s divisive leader. When Teddy had first moved to New York, Quahog had just completed his initial term as head of the MACUSA. With term limits being what they are in Wizarding America, Teddy had figured that would be the last he’d hear of him. Unfortunately, Quahog had never really gone away. He’d spent the next four years messing around the New York real estate market before returning to Wizarding politics to campaign for a new term, this time running on the platform of being successful in business, not just politics. Teddy, unable to vote as he had no intention to seek citizenship in the states, had had to watch as Quahog had been elected again to lead the MACUSA. “But I can’t believe that even in the face of overwhelming evidence he’s still trying to claim that he’s the good guy.” 

“Well believe it,” Az grumbled, “because it’s happening.”

They stared at each other for a moment.

“So would you like to talk about ideas for your page?” Az asked, changing the subject away from politics for the moment. “I took the liberty of creating a content calendar for you and I thought we could review it.” 

Nodding, Teddy took a look. Az wanted to post up daily content. Teddy felt like that was too much - he wanted his page to be full of quality as opposed to quantity for quantity’s sake. But when he voiced his concerns she did not relent. “But it’s one of the best ways to boost followers!” she insisted. 

Eventually they settled on a compromise. For the first two weeks, to help build his channel, Az would post daily - plus twice a day for the next four days in anticipation of Jason Fischer’s visit. After that they would settle into a routine of posting twice a week or so, picking the days and times of said posts based on any analytic feedback they got from their initial trial run. 

Satisfied, Azumi set about collecting content to post while Teddy welcomed in his first client of the day.

* * *

Teddy decided to surprise James and cook him dinner that night. It wasn’t something he often did, as he wasn’t a great cook, but he wanted to try to be romantic and thought he and James could use a night in. James’ masterpiece of an article had turned the Wizarding World on its head - even Troy had sent Teddy an owl that afternoon. 'I knew this was coming,’ Troy wrote, ‘but James has really done his homework. Well done.’ It was as close to approval as Troy was likely to come, an original copy of the article attached to his note. Teddy saved them both to share with James later.

Picking up some fresh ravioli and beautiful, large, red tomatoes from a local Italian market, Teddy stopped to peruse the wine section. He finally settled on a bottle with a woman's face on the label - the face, a charcoal sketch dark against a light yellow backdrop, winked at Teddy as he had passed by. Thinking of the revelations of the day, the art on the bottle spoke to Teddy and he added the wine to his basket. He wrapped up his trip in the bakery section, grabbing some bread to make garlic toast and two chocolate cupcakes for dessert.

An hour later Teddy was standing in front of his rarely used stove, frying up the ravioli in a pan while sipping some of the wine as he cooked. James, who had arrived home about thirty minutes after Teddy did, was sitting up on the counter, kicking his legs restlessly as Teddy plated the pasta and sauce. He had been oddly quiet about the events of the day, it had Teddy slightly concerned, but he figured James would open up when he was ready to talk.

“Don’t forget about the garlic bread, Teddy,” James reminded him. “I don’t want to eat burnt toast.”

“I didn’t forget,” Teddy said, “you’re just an awfully cute distraction over there. Makes it hard to concentrate.”

“Mmm,” James let out a low moan, “is that so? Because I think you should know, you’ve been my distraction for years. This is paybacks, Teddy.”

“If this is paybacks, I think I can live with it,” Teddy joked, popping open the oven. The hot bread flew out of the oven and dropped down onto their plates. Teddy looked over at James.

“What? I’m hungry!” James protested. “Shall we?” he indicated towards the table. 

They ate the food while it was hot. James stuffed his face like he had never seen food before, attacking his plate with gusto. “I know I eat fast,” Teddy teased, “but you are putting me to shame over here.”

“Sorry Ted-ster,” James apologized, mouth full of pasta. “I haven’t eaten all day.”

“I can tell,” Teddy replied, taking a few bites of his own. A minute passed before he ventured, “Do you want to talk about it?”

James swallowed, looking up. He shook his head.

“Well do you mind if I do?”

James shoved a whole ravioli in his mouth and shook his head again.

“I am very proud of you, James. What you did took bravery and strength. And, for what it’s worth, I know every word you printed is the truth as you uncovered it. Fuck what they’re saying on WizNet - I think you did the right thing. The right thing by those No-Maj women, the right thing by wizarding democracy, and the right thing by me.”

Suddenly James' mouth was on his, dinner completely forgotten. James kissed him hungrily, gripping Teddy’s shirt tight, pulling him close, pressing their stomachs together. 

With a growl Teddy kissed back, leaning into the touch, surrendering to James above him. He opened his mouth and flicked his tongue against James’, urging him to claim it for himself. James plunged his tongue into Teddy's mouth, swallowing his boyfriend's gasps as he plundered the willing mouth.

“Bed. Now.” The tone urgent and needy as James bit Teddy’s lip. 

“Mmm yes,” Teddy moaned, moving against James as they stood, neither wanting to break contact. James shifted a little so that Teddy could feel their hard cocks rub against each other. Teddy panted.

"Feel good?" James asked, working his way down the side of Teddys’ neck, planting small, open-mouthed kisses as he went. 

“Yes,” Teddy mewled, “ _yes_. You feel so good.”

James gave him a smile while leading him into the bedroom. "Take your clothes off," James whispered seductively against the shell of Teddy’s ear, sending shivers down his spine and straight to his cock as Teddy obeyed. Stripping off his jeans and shirt, his eyes never wandered from James.

"One of us is still over-dressed," Teddy said with a smile. In response James shrugged off his shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He was reaching for the button on his trousers when Teddy got an idea.

"Let me," he said. Batting James' hand away, Teddy placed his hand against James' bare chest and pushed, sending the younger man backwards onto the bed. Teddy took a moment to look James up and down - James with his brilliant bright green eyes and smile could light the moon. Teddy felt something warm flutter in his chest.

Moving his hand down to the waist of James’ pants, Teddy undid the button and hooked his fingertips into the band of his boxers and pulled everything down in one go. James' cock sprang free, slapping against his stomach, and Teddy wanted nothing more than to taste it. 

Leaning down Teddy licked a line from the base of James’ cock to the head and blew softly, causing James’ hips to jerk wildly, his hands clutching the bedspread. 

“Yesss, Teddy,” James hissed, lost in pleasure as Teddy sucked on his cock. “Want- need-”

Teddy lifted his lips from James’ cock, replacing it with his hand instead. Teasingly he stroked James’ cock up and down, “Yes, Jamie? What do you need?” 

“You!” James cried out, “I need you. More than anything.”

“You have me,” Teddy finally broke away and took control, sensation driving him forward. Making his way back up, he licked James’ collarbone, just to see what kind of reaction it would get. James shivered beneath him. Feeling bold, Teddy hooked his leg around James’ thigh and pushed forward, feeling their cocks press together.

"Teddy," James groaned, throwing his head back, and pressed back harder, beginning to thrust. Teddy buried his head into James’ neck, feeling the beat of James’ heart in rhythm with his movement. The sensation sent shivers down Teddy’s spine as their thrusting sped up. James began to curl into the friction, thrusting his own cock painfully hard against Teddy’s.

Reaching for the lube, Teddy unscrewed the lid before grabbing James' ass and carefully sliding a newly slick finger inside. James’ eyes fluttered closed. “Oh yes, that’s what I want,” his voice sounded breathless with desire.

Teddy smiled, thrusting his finger into James a few times before adding a second finger. 

“Oh, Teddy, just-” James’ eyes were clouded with lust and love and Teddy didn’t let him finish before he turned James on his side, pressed himself into the arch of James' back, and reached around to run fingers down his torso before he moved down to stroke James' cock as he slowly pressed inside.

The heat of James combined with the sensation of being so wanted overwhelmed Teddy as he thrust, gently at first, but then harder as James’ cries of “more” breathed hot into his ear. Teddy gripped James’ hips as his cock continued to pound in and out of his lover, forcing moan after moan out of James that grew more intense as Teddy hit that sweet spot inside him. He reached down and wrapped his hand around James’ cock and pulled in time with his thrust, listening to his boyfriend give in completely, his gasps and moans melting Teddy’s own control. The knot in Teddy’s stomach threatened to come undone as he got closer to release. Leaning down he breathed into James’ ear, “I’m going to cum.”

“Oh yes!” James moaned. “Cum. Cum for me, Teddy-”

And that was all it took for Teddy to come undone. With a groan Teddy thrust up, pressing their bodies as close together as he could, as he came deep inside James and James shot his load onto his stomach.

They lay there in silence for a moment, panting, both completely spent, Teddy drawing small circles on James’ hips.

James planted a small kiss on Teddy’s lips before pulling away and looking at him adoringly. “Well that’s one way to deal with the stress of the day. I feel loads better now - no pun intended. That was everything I wanted and didn’t know I needed.”

“Good,” Teddy said, kissing James again. It was a quick kiss but it took his breath away all the same. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” James challenged, propping himself up on his forearms.

“You can’t prove that,” Teddy said, running his fingers down James’ torso. 

“No, I can’t,” James’ gaze was transfixed watching Teddy’s fingers. “But I do know I love you more than anything in the world.”

“Anything?” Teddy’s voice was teasing but his hair brightened a shade.

“Anything,” James confirmed, nodding. 

They stayed in bed for the remainder of the night holding on to each other tightly. Nothing between them had changed but Teddy couldn’t shake the feeling that a new level of devotion in their relationship had somehow been reached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel awful about splitting up Scorbus but it had to be done for plot reasons. I promise I have loads of good stuff to make up for it :please don't hurt me lol:
> 
> Thank you all for your Comments, Kudos and Subscriptions and everything else you all do to help keep me sane and writing - love you guys! 
> 
> Find me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	17. Purple Prose

**Chapter 17 - Purple Prose**

Typically Teddy wasn't much of a planner when it came to meeting agendas, but he felt that he should have a rough outline ready in time for Jason Fischer‘s visit. Using a new page in his sketchbook, he detailed out a five-part plan on how to spend their meeting, complete with a reminder to himself to offer the wizard a drink - he really needed to remember to buy coffee. 

It was Tuesday night - he had less than 48 hours.

After work, Teddy met up with his friends for trivia. He’d invited James but the younger man had declined, urging Teddy to go along without him.

“I’ll be working late. And honestly we will probably both still get back home at the same time,” James had said. “Not that I object to you watching me work, but you’re an amazing distraction and if I want to actually get anything done...”

In the end Teddy had conceded. And for good reason, the last 24 hours had served to run James ragged. Try though he might to hide it, James was clearly struggling to field all the OwlMail from other reporters to answer the public's demands. Then there was President Quahog himself, who was still claiming ‘Fake-News’ and now asserting someone had been using Polyjuice to impersonate him. Teddy had asked James about that particular claim when James was finally willing to talk. 

“It would be very impressive if that were true - seeing as I have evidence spanning multiple days and times,” James had said. “Someone would have had to be extremely diligent and really have it out for the President, and I just don’t see that happening. Also, Shannon - the only one of No-Maj women who appears not to have her memories altered? The Aurors in the Major Investigation Department gave her Veritaserum and she gave details of nights that lasted hours. I find it hard to believe the President was crawling out of her bed every hour to take a vial full of Polyjuice.”

“Did they ever find out why she was the only one that got to keep her memories?” Teddy had asked.

“No, but I have a working theory.”

“Would you like to clue me in?”

“Personally? I think she’s a squib.”

Teddy had given James an odd look. “Since when are squibs immune to memory charms?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I do think a well-cast Obliviate will work on most-anyone, but new studies out of St. Mungos have uncovered certain blood-brain markers that can help make it more difficult to stick,” James had explained. “So perhaps she’s not a squib but I think she’s got some long-forgotten magical lineage in her blood.”

“Since when are you into reading healer-studies?” Teddy had asked, amused.

“Since I became an international-wizarding-reporter-extraordinaire,” James’ confidence had been unmistakable and Teddy had to laugh.

“You know they’re going to have a trial.” 

The mood had switched suddenly at that, now serious, catching Teddy off guard. “Huh?” he’d asked.

“For the removal of President Quahog," James had been solemn. "They've asked me to testify, not just against the President but in support of the eradication of Rappaport's Law that is being discussed.”

If anything good had erupted from the media frenzy, it was the debate raging around Rappaport’s Law and the validity of its continuation. The conversation was intense with wizards on both sides of the fence offering their perspectives freely. Many felt the law should be repealed, but there were a few powerful individuals in high places at the MACUSA who wanted to uphold the status quo. “It protects us,” they argued. Personally, Teddy couldn’t think of a single situation where a wizard would need to be protected from a Muggle.

“I think you should,” Teddy had encouraged his boyfriend, leaning their foreheads together, “You’ll have a chance to fight for what’s right.”

James had nodded and captured Teddy’s lips with a kiss. Pulling away, he had looked like he was going to say something more, as if debating the validity in his mind, but he’d remained silent. 

When Teddy Apparated home from trivia that night, the first thing he noticed was the stacks of paper and parchment that were piled high on his dining table with James buried beneath it all. Glimpsing copies of James’ original article, letters to the editor, various reviews and other comments, Teddy walked around the table and draped his arms over James’ shoulders, giving him a warm hug in hullo.

“Being a journalist is almost more exhausting than Quidditch,” James complained with a sigh, leaning into Teddy’s touch. Indeed, Teddy could tell he was exhausted, but James also looked exhilarated, like he had just run a long race or won a well-fought Quidditch match. 

“But do you love it?” Teddy asked, squeezing James’ arms and running his fingers up and down.

James looked up at him, his eyes incredibly bright. “Yeah. Somehow, in all this madness, I really do.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” Teddy smiled down at him. “We all missed you at trivia tonight. But everyone understood why you couldn’t make it. They said hullo.” 

“Yeah, sorry I couldn’t come,” James gestured, exasperated, to the piles in front of him, “I think I’m finally getting to a wrap up point for the night though. I have a lot of followup reporting to do, and then there’s the trial to prepare for - it’s all a little nuts right now. I’m having to break it down like I would Quidditch plays. And I talked to my parents today. My dad had a few thoughts on the media frenzy - he’s as frustrated by the blatant abuse of power as anyone, and that’s putting it mildly. They both said hullo by the way. So, did you win?”

“No, came in second by two points. We needed you there.”

“Second? That sucks.”

Teddy nodded, “We lost to this obnoxious table of tourists. They managed to get way too drunk and far too loud, which kept competing with the Quizmaster’s questions. And one of them kept trying to pull Jennifer which rightfully pissed Troy off, poor sod.” Teddy kissed James’ head and gave him a squeeze before pulling away, moving to grab himself a beer from the fridge. “Want one?” he asked James, holding up a second bottle, the glass smooth against his palm.

“Please,” James gratefully reached out for the bottle, “I can’t even believe they won then.”

“Oh, I know! Neither could we!” Teddy commiserated as he handed over the bottle, causing their fingers to brush together for a moment. Teddy’s fingers tingled from the touch as he pulled his hand back.

“So,” James said between sips, “Did I miss anything else?”

“Only if you wanted to hear more commentary on President Quahog or happened to know the detailed particulars of the Animagus charm - we lost a few extra points that round.”

“Damn, I could have helped you out! I’ve done my fair share of research on that one,” James smiled. “The spell is a bit too diligent for me to decide I want to go through with it through. Leaving a Mandrake leaf in my mouth for an entire month? There’s so many other things I’d rather be doing with my mouth.”

Teddy smirked. “I’ll bet there is,” he teased. 

“You know it,” James winked.

Teddy blushed. Taking a seat across from James, he collected himself before saying contemplatively, “But your grandfather did manage it. And Sirius Black. Wonder how they handled it?” 

“When they were fifteen at that! Did you know they were only in their fifth year?”

Teddy nodded and drank his beer.

James smiled, “Speaking of, I’ve been thinking.”

“A dangerous pastime,” Teddy teased with a smile.

“I know,” James conceded. “But this is one of those ideas that won’t go away. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Actually, more accurately, I’ve been writing down stories for a long time.”

“Well don’t keep a man in suspense,” Teddy encouraged, “If you’ve been thinking of becoming an animagus, I think I have the right to know.”

“No, it’s nothing like that!” James denied emphatically. “Didn’t I just say I can think of way better things to do then keep a Mandrake leaf in my mouth?”

Teddy winked and James’ eyes danced for a moment before he started back in.

“No, the thing is, I’ve been writing down the stories my dad has told me for years. Not just the ones everyone knows about - how the war was won and stuff. That’s all common knowledge any history book will tell you about. But I’ve been keeping track of all the little stories: the tales of him and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione when they were in school, the legendary stories about my namesakes, the stories about your parents,” James paused looking slightly uncertain before continuing. “Teddy, I’ve been thinking I should write a biography.”

“About your dad?”

“About my dad,” James confirmed. “And about yours. And about Sirius Black, and the original James Potter. And kinda about the war. I know there aren’t many people left to interview, but I think, if I could do it right - get my dad to open up a little, ask Aunt Hermione the right questions, bribe Mr. Malfoy into talking - I think I could have a really good book.”

When James was a kid he used to dream up fantastical tales. Teddy had all but forgotten the tales of Prince James and his amazing adventures - some had been long, elaborate and imaginative, while others had simply helped James to process his day. Teddy wasn’t sure where young James had learned to turn ordinary events into fights with evil wizards, tales of far off places and daring spells he wasn’t allowed to cast yet, but he had been really skilled at captivating his audiences. In particular he had seemed to enjoy entertaining his brother with stories starring himself and Prince Al often enlisting a supporting cast of Princess Lily, King Harry, Queen Ginny, and Teddy the Knight on his noble steed. Ginny, for her part, had encouraged these tales, “They’re a good learning tool,” she’d tell Harry, “gives him a way to learn constructively.”

“Did you read that in a parenting book?” he recalled Harry asking her, standing behind her in the kitchen while leaning down to kiss her neck.

“No,” she had shook her head, “but he’s my rambunctious one. I like that there’s something that keeps his attention and makes him sit still - beyond watching Teddy draw.”

Teddy tried to remember when those stories started to disappear. Looking at his boyfriend, he wondered if they ever really did or if James just stopped saying them out loud.

Teddy wished he had been raised in an environment like James had been, where people were encouraging of his own talents, maybe then he would know what to say that would sound as supportive as he wanted it to. Realizing he’d been silent for a beat too long he tested, “If you’re passionate about it, I think you should go for it.”

Apparently he’d said the right thing as James’ entire being radiated out gold. “Thank you. Your approval really means a lot.”

“I don’t have too many stories about my parents, I don’t think, but you can interview me if you want to,” Teddy offered. “I’ll share what I can.”

“Absolutely!” James sounded excited now, “that would be great! _Accio-leather notebook_ ,” James summoned over a small red leather notebook that looked very worn with age, colorful tabs marking the edges of the pages. Cracking open the cover Teddy could see James’ handwriting inside, lines of stories popping on and off the page as they rotated in and out. “I’ve been taking notes since my fourth year - I must have over a hundred fragments of stories now that I could expound on. I’ve divided things into sections, see?” James pointed to the bright blue tab, “everything in this section is what I’ve heard about Sirius Black, your dad, and all the Marauders when they were in school.” Next he lifted the deep red tab slightly, “Everything behind here has to do with the war against Voldemort and my dad when he was in school, and here is what I know about Al’s namesakes,” James pointed to the green tab. “There’s others too, but those are the main ones.”

“Wow, this is a ton of work, James,” Teddy praised, leaning forward to watching the stories pop in and out. “How do you get them to stop moving?”

James took out his wand and gently tapped a paragraph as it appeared. Suddenly the page was filled with his handwriting and remained static. “I can’t take credit for the spell,” he explained looking a little sheepish, “Uncle Charlie set it for me years ago. Though, personally I think Uncle George may have helped _him_ with it.” He smiled.

Teddy suddenly sat up a little straighter as several thoughts came into focus all at once. “James,” he asked slowly, “Did you get that notebook from Charlie?”

“Yeah, ages ago.” James said nonchalantly, closing it up. 

Teddy studied the cover, the leather old and worn with age - clearly well loved. The parchment looked sewn in, bound to the spine by both magic and thread. “It’s Charlie, isn’t it?” he breathed, heart pounding a little faster, “Charlie Weasley is the man behind RedDragonLeather.”

The look on James' face all but confirmed it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Teddy asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

“Because, there’s more to the story than just that. And there’s something else you should know.”

“What’s that?”

“Well,” James bit his lip, “I’ve sorta been helping him...”

"What?!" Teddy's surprise caused him to overemphasize the 't'.

“Well you know I’ve sorta always had this thing about leather, right? Don’t look at me like that Ted-ward - I don’t mean that in a sexual way! Merlin!” James laughed at Teddy’s expression as he imagined James in _leather_ , before trying again, “Maybe it’s kinda similar to how you see colors and shapes as sounds? Maybe? I don’t know. It’s just leather, like, to me, is this really comforting material. And honestly it’s probably the reason why I love Quidditch gear so much. Anyhow, it all started the summer after I graduated at one of Grandma’s Sunday dinners. Charlie happened to be in town and I showed him that I still had the notebook he’d gifted me. He asked if he could snap a picture of it for his MajGram account - not that this old thing is anything incredibly special mind - but he did say it was one of his first notebooks he’d ever made so he felt it was worthy of a post. When I found out he had handmade it, I proposed a trade - I would help him grow his social channels in exchange for lessons on leatherworking. That was back when his account was called CWLeatherCrafts and he didn’t really have much of an audience - I think just above 900 followers? Together we made the account public, changed the handle to make it more marketable, and started cleaning up his content. The rest, as they say…” James' voice trailed off.

“So, my sketchbook,” Teddy asked, “was that actually your idea?”

“Kinda,” James confessed. “It was more of a collaboration, really. I had this idea in my head for a long time based off my notebook here and you sketching in our living room last Christmas, so I described it to Charlie. He was really excited by the design, but we needed some help to get the gems we wanted. That’s when he owled Aunt Hermione.”

“What’s she got to do with gems?” Teddy asked, confused.

“Well, a while back, Hugo got it into his head that he wanted to be a wizarding gemologist - you know how he gets with collecting and studying things - which prompted Aunt ‘Mione to start looking into ethical mining practices. Did you know that less than a decade ago house elves were being sent to do jobs a Niffler could do? Anyway it propelled her to enact a whole host of new laws and regulations which suddenly increased the price of precious and semi-precious stones. Supply and demand and all that,” James smiled.

“So there was a kinda run on wizarding gemstones and crystals for a while. Caused quite a stir with the Divination community apparently, despite crystals being kinda bogus, I guess,” he shrugged, “I don’t really know. Lily swears that they can help heal and aid but I think that’s kinda a bunch of hogwash personally. I do like the sentimental meanings behind them, but they're only magical if you infuse a spell into one. But then I never had any affinity for Divination like she does, so what do I know?” Despite his dismissive tone, James’ grin held affection for his younger sister. “Anyway- the legal sellers in England now all have these waiting lists, and unless Charlie and I wanted to go mining for the stones ourselves we needed an in with the ethical suppliers. Aunt Hermione helped us to arrange the meetings.”

Teddy thought about the gems on the spine of his sketchbook. “So you’re telling me,” he stated slowly, “those are the real deal gemstones?” He’d assumed that had been the case based on their pure vibrations, but the reality of knowing them to be the real deal caused his chest to tighten. 

James nodded, blushing. “Yes, I picked them out myself.”

Teddy felt touched and something in his chest tightened in warmth, it was the most elaborate present he’d ever been given. But he was also slightly perturbed. “Were you ever planning to tell me, James?” Teddy asked, burying his frustration as best he could, letting his more pragmatic nature drive the question.

“Yes,” James admitted with a sigh. “I was going to tell you the day I gave it to you, but I was afraid the gift was too elaborate. Too much. I was nervous. That’s why I didn’t wait to give it to you on Christmas, or something, either. I just wanted you to have it because you deserve something that special everyday. Because you’re Teddy. But also because I love you, I made it for you.” James' cheeks were a deep red, caught between a blush and total embarrassment. Teddy wanted to kiss it away but didn’t allow himself just yet. He felt a queasy sort of heat pool in his stomach that spread throughout his body. His hair morphed involuntarily back from his daily strawberry blond to turquoise. He hadn’t even realized it hadn’t switched back when he got home.

“I thought of you the entire time Charlie and I were making it. When Hermione suggested the runes on the cover, I ran with the idea. I picked out gems that felt like you. I didn’t even know about your synesthesia back then, but I do know a little about gemology - I can thank Hugo for that, I guess. I picked out ones that felt like you to me - Ruby because you studied under her, and selfishly because red is my favorite color. Amber because it reminded me of the sunshine, and that’s always been you to me. Citrine for Hufflepuff and the Jade and Emerald both reminded me of your hair - even though now I know you’ll say they’re slightly different vibrations,” James' voice was pleading and brimming with affection. 

“And the amethyst?”

James blushed red, “I debated getting an amethyst but in the end I went with tanzanite for purple instead. I just couldn’t get the meaning of it out of my head.”

“Which was?” Teddy whispered. 

“‘My words give voice to the love in my heart.’”

Teddy thought back to the video Az had shown him on MajGram of his sketchbook coming together. “Two become one.” Suddenly everything made sense. 

Chest tight, Teddy decided to put James out of his misery. “I’m not really angry, you know? Even if you do have a habit of telling people big important things later than you should,” he teased before switching to a more serious but no less adoring tone, “Please don’t feel like you can’t tell me things. I don’t demand to know everything but don’t feel nervous or like you can’t share.”

Wide-eyed James looked up at Teddy. In the coziness of Teddy’s flat, James’ features were smoothed out and cast in shadows of yellow and teal. Teddy reached across the table to cover James’ hand with his own.

“Thank you for the sketchbook. I wish you had felt like you could tell me sooner, but I am glad you told me all the same. It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten. I love that you put so much thought into it. It honestly means the world to me. I don’t know how to express it wholly, but I really love it and I love you.”

“So, you forgive me?” James’ voice was hopeful.

“On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Teach me the spell that rotates your notes.”

James’ golden smile was back as he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is one of my favorite chapters in this entire fic - it was amazingly fun to write and I love how it turned out. What did you think? Was anybody already suspicious of Charlie or James? 
> 
> Thank you for the Kudos, Comments and Bookmarks and all your other ways you've gotten in touch - I hope everyone is staying happy and healthy! 
> 
> Want more? Follow me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	18. Turquoise Thread

**Chapter 18 - Turquoise Thread**

Teddy struggled to contain his nerves as they mounted over the next 48 hours. His more pragmatic nature kept reminding him that he was as ready and prepared as he could be, but even that reassurance couldn’t totally calm him. During the week Az had posted up exactly six more images to his MajGram - bringing the total number of posts on his page to seven. Her efforts garnered him seventy-eight new followers, for a grand total of ninety-eight - the number had resonated with Teddy as it was the same as the year he was born. The growth was slow but steady, and Az seemed pleased with the number of organic impressions he’d been making.

“I have been studying the results of our posts,” she informed him on Wednesday. “Your work-in-progress shots have been getting a lot of visibility but not a lot of followers - it’s the completed works that are capturing audience interest and gaining you subscribers, so to speak.” It all sounded very deep and impressive to Teddy, who had been too mentally-preoccupied with his upcoming appointment to take it all in. Az noticed his distraction.

“Are you nervous?” she asked, approaching Teddy’s desk with some caution.

Teddy laughed, “I would be lying if I didn’t say yes. But I don’t think I could do much more to be ready.”

“You’ll be fine. They’re the ones who sought you out, right?”

Teddy nodded lamely.

“Then don’t worry so much. It’s going to be great,” she reassured. 

Teddy laughed again, “I swear, sometimes you sound so much like my boyfriend it’s scary.” 

Az beamed at him, a brilliant orange vibration. “Am I ever going to meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours?”

Teddy smiled, “I should hope so. Someday.”

Later that night he and James found themselves combing through Teddy’s closet, trying to figure out what he was going to wear that would impress a wizard of Jason Fischer’s caliber. It was easy enough to eliminate his casual robes or clothes with paint stains - Teddy had taken up the habit of not vanishing the paint that accidentally ended up on his clothes. He had adopted the practice after a particularly eccentric lesson from Ruby when Troy accidentally toppled a canister of newly charmed paint over while he and Teddy were putting away supplies one day. Automatically reaching for his wand, Troy had been poised to perform a cleansing spell when Ruby caught him in the act.

“Don’t just charm that paint off!” she had scolded. “Not after a wizard's magical essence is infused! If you charm it off, it’s like eliminating their magic. The paint must be disposed of properly - and if it happens to land on your clothes consider it seasoning and just let it dry.” 

Teddy and Troy had exchanged a look of sarcastic levity that said ‘well, that can’t be true.’ Afterwards the pair had continued to chat about the incident as they walked to the nearest Apparition point. 

“She can’t really believe that old Beedle the Bard tale can she?” 

“I don’t know, Teddy. Maybe it’s something like how the wand chooses the wizard - the paint chooses the witch?” ‘Boys, you must dispose of the excess paint with the proper spell!’” Troy had laughed, imitating Ruby’s voice as he said the last line, as if he found the idea hysterical. 

It wasn’t until years later that Teddy fully understood - it was the potent mix of ingredients, spells, and magical essence that made the paint impossible to simply vanish away. So he let them remain, and when his clothes got too stained he relegated them to be used as work shirts for his own projects before eventually recycling them using the method and charms Ruby instructed. 

With the obviously inappropriate pieces eliminated, Teddy and James dove deeper into the robes sitting in the back of Teddy’s closet, some of which were wrapped in plastic or covered in a layer of dust.

“Uh, Teddy?” James sounded like he was trying not to laugh, “what in the holy name of Merlin’s-awful-dress-robes is this?” 

Teddy blushed as James held up a bright sherbet orange monstrosity that he had picked up at a vintage store during his first year living in New York. Teddy had fallen in love with the vibration of the color the moment he saw it and purchased it on a whim, but he had never actually worn them out in public. He kept them because he always thought that he would take the robes apart and use the fabric for another project. But he never got around to it, so they remained forgotten in the back of his closet.

“I loved the color but wouldn’t be caught dead in those,” Teddy said, not wanting to go into all the details of how he’d come to be the owner of dress robes that were manufactured circa-1972.

James tossed those robes on his bed and rummaged back through Teddy’s closest before emerging with a grey and black striped robe. “Going for that just escaped from Azkaban look?” he teased, holding the robes up against himself.

"Nah, they suit you better anyway, James Sirius Potter,” Teddy dismissed with a wave and a laugh.

James gave a small frown, but his grin quickly returned. “Say, Teddy, you do know that if you haven’t worn anything in a year you’re supposed to give it away, right?”

“I do clean out my closet,” Teddy grumbled, “but I always think ‘I might want this’ or ‘I shouldn’t get rid of that’ and end up keeping things I shouldn’t. But then, on days like today when I really need to find something to wear, I think I should just toss out everything in my closet and start all over from scratch.” He threw himself backwards onto the bed.

Determination set on James’ face as he returned to Teddy’s closet for a third time. “Remember, Teddy,” he called back, “everything you own may be old to you, but it’s new as far as Jason Fischer is concerned. He’s never seen it before. Hey! What about this?”

James emerged carrying a set of dark turquoise robes cut in a modern silhouette with a pewter zipper running up the front. The flat paneling offered a slender cut and the color was only a few shades off from Teddy’s current hair color. Teddy propped himself up on his elbows.

“I got those years ago for Troy and Jennifer’s engagement party. Don’t you think they’re too formal?”

James shook his head. “No, I think they’ll be perfect. Modern, not too flashy, and a color you feel comfortable in. Here - will you model for me?”

Teddy stood up as James unzipped the robe and held it open for him to slide his arms into. Draping the fabric across Teddy's shoulders, James rubbed his hands up and down the sleeves as Teddy fastened up the zipper. As Teddy adjusted to the robes’ weight, James maneuvered the two of them to stand in front of the bathroom mirror.

Teddy took in the sight of himself in the robes. The cut squared off his shoulders, giving him a more professional look, the panels made him look tall and trim, and the sleeve hem came down to reach the knuckles of his thumbs, partially hiding his hands. He didn’t look too bad, Teddy decided, but his hair was too close in color for comfort. Without thinking he quickly morphed his hair to strawberry blonde. Behind him James’ eyes lit up.

“See? You look stunning.” 

Teddy let out a small laugh to hide his insecurity. He was nervous and excited and happy all at once. “Even with the strawberry blond hair?”

James shot him a look that said ‘well-duh!’ before saying sincerely, “Even with any hair. It’s not even fair, Ted-ward. You have the ability to look like anything you want, and yet you look like that.”

“Like what?” Teddy asked, watching in the mirror as a blush crept across his cheeks.

James wrapped his arms around Teddy’s waist and rested his head on Teddy’s shoulder, “You look beautiful all the time, but you look absolutely devastating in those robes. You’re going to be amazing tomorrow. Regardless of how things go, I am so proud of you.” 

Teddy shivered as James kissed his neck, and he wasn’t sure it was only because of the feel of his lips. He stared at the two of them reflected in the mirror, how well they melded together. The adoring look on James' face, radiating brightly as ‘I am so proud of you,’ played on repeat in Teddy’s mind. His legs felt like they had been hit with the jelly legs jinx as all the fight went out of him. Exhaling slowly he leaned into James. “I love you.”

James turned him to kiss him soundly, “I love you too.” The words sounded like a promise as he slowly led them both back to the bedroom.

There weren’t many words spoken after that.

If James had wanted to create a distraction for Teddy, his plan was a success because it was the thought of James beneath him that occupied Teddy’s mind when Jason Fischer and his entourage arrived at ELupin Studios on Thursday. 

Commanding the space from the moment he crossed the threshold, exactly three-minutes past their scheduled meeting time, the formidable wizard’s sharp blue eyes swept the room from behind thin rimmed rectangular glasses. The man appeared extremely trim and fit with both his hair and skin radiating a dewy, orange tan glow that made Teddy think of holidays in Fiji or somewhere equally exotic, but also could have been from a glamour or tanning charm. He was sporting an outfit that Teddy was positive would have made Az drool were she present. Clad in the epitome of wizarding fashion, a silver grey sweater fresh off the runway from the House of Zabini had been paired with custom dark blue robes imported directly from Madam Malkins, London - robes billowing out behind him somewhat as he moved aside to reveal a small entourage trailing behind him.

A small, olive-skinned witch with dark hair and a stern look on her face came into view - Teddy recognized her as Jason’s secretary from their previous interactions setting up this meeting. She was wearing red high-heeled pumps that matched her skintight dress and sank down into the carpet as she walked. Carrying an iPad in her right arm, her wand propped behind it, she looked around the room with an expression like she’s swallowed something sour. Beside her stood a large, dark-skinned, heavy-set man wearing all black. Teddy was slightly intimidated by his size and stature and wagered he must be some sort of security detail.

Welcome,” he greeted the group. He turned to the Wizard of WizNet and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, "Mr. Fischer, thank you for taking the time to meet with me while you’re in New York.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Lupin,” Jason said with a smile, gripping his hand in a firm handshake. “I have heard wonderful things about you and your work, and from what I can see they were not wrong.” His eyes flickered up to Teddy’s newest piece on the wall behind him.

Teddy smiled. “Please, call me Teddy. Can I get you anything to drink, Mr. Fischer?”

The wizard shook his head, declining, before informing, “My company is on a first name basis, Teddy, and I think it only appropriate for you to call me Jason. We’re all friends here.” He said this all very smoothly as he gracefully took a seat, motioning for Teddy to do the same. His secretary and security companions stood stiffly behind him at the ready. Teddy waited expectantly but he did not introduce them.

“Yes, well,” Teddy started in, before catching himself and looking into Jason’s blue eyes. “Thank you for making the time to meet with me. It’s an honor to have you here.” 

Jason nodded, “Normally I would meet with wizards at my offices in California, but I am also a big proponent of meeting people where they are. I thought since I was going to be in New York on business anyway it would be best to come to you. Seeing how someone conducts themselves in their own environment can tell you a lot about a wizard, don’t you agree?”

Personally Teddy wondered what difference it could possibly make - someone’s personality was bound to surface regardless of location - but maybe that was the synesthetes in him talking. Outwardly he nodded. “Yes, I could see how that would be appealing.”

“When I started WizNet almost twenty years ago, little did I know it would grow into the wizarding cultural cornerstone that it has become today. I started this business with a passion and an idea - that wizards all over the world could connect and share with each other. Similar to that of our No-Maj counterparts, sure, but then it is a truth universally acknowledged that we all crave connection, no?”

Teddy nodded and pulled out his sketchbook, poised to take notes. He wrote down “passion” and “connection” and reined in his impulsive desire to doodle in the margins with a stern self reminder he should remain as professional as he could manage to.

“The goal to connect all wizards in this way certainly exists as a tangible outcome - it's not just a mirage out there. Each day we get one step closer. But we still have a long way to go. And with new platforms being created daily using our magical technology, we cannot afford to let down our guard.” Behind him his secretary frowned slightly at this, before schooling her face back into what Teddy was coming to think of as her natural scowl.

“And this is where you come in. When I saw your body of work, both your portrait work and the pieces you’ve created for WizWork, I thought you would be an excellent candidate to create a memorable and lasting work of art for us at WizNet.” Jason offered a smooth, practiced smile at the end of his speech, looking down his nose at Teddy.

“Yes, well it’s an honor to be selected,” Teddy replied, hoping he didn’t sound as off-balance as he thought he might.

“We were very excited by your work. We think it will translate well.”

“Thank you, I do think I can create something that will be a good fit. Is there anything you’d like to see specifically in the piece?” Teddy asked, positioning his quill to start a new line.

“I may be a visionary,” Jason stroked his own ego, “but I only have vague impressions of what I am looking for here. But I do know we want something vibrant that captures the interconnectivity and global presence of our brand. A work that speaks to the fact that wizards from all walks of life can find something they’re passionate about on our platform and curate their own content as they so choose. The piece will be the hallmark of our anniversary campaign, so it will require universal appeal and cross any language barriers. Highly visual and marketable. You can use our existing imagery if you like, and I will have my marketing team send along a style guide ”

Teddy thought of the WizNet’s Sphinx logo as he jotted down “global,” “20th anniversary,” and “marketable.” He made a mental note to have a chat with Troy about that last one to get a better idea of the current advertisement media landscape.

“Would you like this piece to be created digitally or are you looking for a canvas?”

“A canvas piece that we could transition to digital would be ideal,” he informed Teddy, who nodded once more.

“Do you want any motion or magic infused into it?” he asked, resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair.

At this Jason raised his hand, motioning for his secretary to come over to him. Teddy watched as Jason whispered something in her ear, too quiet for Teddy to hear, but based on the deep purple of the woman's reaction, he figured it was more serious than either were letting on. She looked up at Teddy and nodded stiffly. As Teddy nodded back she stepped away once again.

“I think the original should be as magical as appropriate,” Jason replied, crossing his legs and leaning back. It was a little intimidating.

“Alright,” Teddy wrote down “magical movement,” before looking back up. “So a little creative license is allowed here then?”

“Yes, I think this situation requires some freedom in that.”

“I can work with that,” Teddy assured.

“Good.” Jason’s voice was definitive. “I think we should proceed with the sample piece. My people will be in touch with a contract and non-disclosure agreement for you shortly so you can begin working. I expect to see great things from you, Teddy.”

Jason’s parting words rang in Teddy’s ears as the wizard and his entourage headed out his studio door.

* * *

“So? How did it go?” James’ voice was full of excitement and curiosity. 

Teddy held open the door for him as they entered Lumos Steakhouse to meet up with Troy and Jennifer for dinner. Troy had sent Teddy an owl in the afternoon. ‘I know things have been crazy lately, what with James’ article and you meeting with Jason Fischer, but if you and James are both able to make it it would mean a lot to me. My treat.’ Troy wrote in his trademark block capitals, though they looked a little more hurried than usual, his sincerity leapt off the page. Teddy had shot James a quick OwlMail asking if he’d be free to join, happy when his boyfriend had said yes. Together they’d agreed to meet up at the Apparition point and walk over to the restaurant.

Teddy couldn’t hold back his smile. “How did what go?” he teased.

“Oi- come off it! How did meeting with one of the more influential wizards in America - nay, the entire world - go?” James laughed.

“I thought that was you? I mean,” Teddy’s voice was playful as he lowered his head to whisper in James’ ear, “you’re the most influential wizard in _my_ world.”

James blushed and gave Teddy a brazen kiss on the lips, not caring for the world who saw. “I like the sound of that,” he whispered, breathless.

“There’s more where that came from,” Teddy promised openly.

“I like the sound of that too,” James’ voice was a little louder this time. 

Teddy grabbed his hand and squeezed, “Think they’re already here?” he asked, eyes scanning the restaurant. 

Lumos was themed to resemble a turn of the century boiler room turned swanky steakhouse, boasting an industrial gothic vibe right down to the detailed metal finishings on the leather booths and chairs. The hostess grinned at them from behind the hostess stand which was made from an antique iron boiler door that read Lumos and Nox, Monkstanley & Lügner Co, NY, NY - 1909. Teddy recognized the company as the names of the witch and wizard who were both separately credited for inventing the Lumos charm. He chuckled to himself, amused that History of Magic had finally come in handy for something after all.

“Welcome to Lumos,” The hostess’ voice was cheerful, “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” Teddy stepped up, “We are meeting someone with a reservation - Jonker should be the last name.”

“Ah yes - I just sat the other half of your party. If you will please follow me.”

The hostess led them back to a round booth that was tucked into a corner and offered a view of the entire restaurant. Teddy could see Troy and Jennifer were both already seated, their backs toward them as they approached.

“How is it,” Teddy began, ushering James into the U-shaped booth towards Jenn before following behind far less gracefully, “that you always manage to beat me no matter where we go?” 

“What a greeting, Teddy - one would think you’re not excited to see me or something!” Troy joked with a laugh.

“You know that’s a lie,” Teddy joked back. “It’s really good to see you both.” He smiled.

“Same to you two,” Troy said with a smile, Jennifer nodded enthusiastically. 

James looked back up and smiled, “Thank you for inviting me. This place looks incredible.” 

Troy smiled. “Wouldn’t invite Teddy and not invite you. I’ve heard you’ve had it pretty rough lately, thought a nice dinner might be in order. If you’re into that kinda thing, that is. We’re really-”

“Glad you could make it,” Jenn finished for him. “Things must be really heated for you right now- I’m surprised you could get away from the office. Merlin knows things are crazy enough at the MACUSA. Half my department is threatening to quit.”

“You said you work in the Department of No-Maj Misinformation, right?” James asked.

Jennifer nodded, “But I’m just a coordinator. Someday I want to head up an investigation team though. Or maybe, if they do finally repeal Rappaport’s, they’ll create a department for No-Maj - Wizard relations. That’s the dream right there.”

Troy grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb back and forth across it. “That would be nice, wouldn't it?” he told her. She smiled. James bumped his leg up against Teddy’s own as he picked up one of the leather covered menus. James ran his hand down the material, almost sensually, before peeling back the cover. Teddy felt heat curl in his stomach. “On your recommendation, what’s good here?” James asked, looking at Troy.

Troy laughed, “Honestly? Pretty much everything. Haven’t been here in a minute though, so I don’t know if they’ve added anything recently. I know that the chef changes things seasonally.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Teddy caught Jenn run her hand affectionately down Troy’s leg and gave him a small peck on the cheek. The two were so undeniably suited for each other. Teddy looked away and gazed at the menu over James’ shoulder as a bartender came by for their drink selections. 

“A Hypnoticgin? On the rocks, please,” Troy placed his order, “Do you want a chocolate frog martini?” Troy looked expectantly at Teddy, effectively commanding his concentration.

“Huh? Oh yes please, that would be great,” he looked at Jenn, “are you not getting anything?”

“Not today,” she confirmed, “just here for the food.”

“Said no one at Lumos ever,” Teddy teased her, giving her a funny look - Lumos was known for their craft-cocktails. 

“It’s okay,” Jenn reassured, “one less glass of alcohol never killed anyone. And besides James here can’t drink either- he may as well have some company.”

James smiled gratefully at her, “Thank you! I was starting to wonder how I would ever manage to resist their cocktail list. I mean, there are drinks on here I’ve never seen. The Phoenix Feather and the Hair of the 3-Headed Dog sound like incredible mixes to try.”

Teddy laughed, leaning into his boyfriend and placing his hand on James’ lower back. “Remind me to bring you back here for your 21st then, all right?”

James’ eyes lit up with happiness.

By the time their drinks arrived, they had settled on ordering the deviled eggs - at Teddy’s insistence - and the charcuterie board, a suggestion of Jennifer’s, as appetizers. At the last minute they decided to put in their entree orders as well. Teddy was torn between the filet and the short rib, but when James ordered the short rib his decision was made - he could always sneak a bite or two off James’ plate. With the ordering out of the way, James turned back to Teddy.

“So, Ted-ster, are you ever going to tell us how it went?”

“Ted-ster?” Troy mouthed with laugh. 

Teddy waved Troy off with a small grin, “He’s been calling me that for ages.” 

“Ted-ster,” Troy muttered again shaking his head with a laugh, “why didn’t I think of that?” just as Jenn leaned forward and asked, “How was what?” 

“Teddy met with Jason Fischer today,” James informed them. Teddy watched as Jenn’s eyes went wide - she always had a knack for tech and thought highly of the WizNet mogul.

“You didn’t tell me that!” she admonished Troy. “Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked Teddy directly.

Teddy shrugged, “Never came up, I guess. Troy did know we were going to meet though.”

“So, how did it go? What’s he like?” she asked excitedly. 

“He was, in a word, concise, I suppose. We didn’t meet for very long and he got to the point fairly quickly. I can see how he rose to become the wizard he is today. He certainly carries the persona and visionary instincts of a creative leader.”

“So are they going to commission a piece from you?” 

“That’s the plan,” Teddy answered, “he said his office would send me a contract and non-disclosure agreement shortly. The only rub is he wants the piece to be marketable and, with that I presume somewhat trendy, and unlike Troy here I don’t know what the market looks like from the inside.”

Troy laughed, “Well, it’s not much different than the ads you see out there now, I suppose. Bright, flashy, bold and eye-catching. Make it dynamic and I’m certain they’ll be pleased with the results. Merlin knows you’ve got the talent - I would go with your instincts and let the rest settle itself.”

Teddy let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Thanks, Troy. I think I needed to hear that.” 

“Anytime man, Merlin knows you lifted me up a time or two - only fair I return the favor.”

The two of them shared a smile. 

James grabbed Teddy’s hand under the table and squeezed, “I told you it would all be fine. I am so proud of you, Teddy.”

Teddy felt warm and he was certain it wasn’t just from his drink. 

The appetizers were served and promptly devoured. Teddy personally savored the flavor of the deviled eggs - a delicacy he’d come to love since moving to the States. Troy teased him about it all the time, “You’re a southern boy at heart” he’d say when he discovered the wizard couldn’t get enough of the mayo-mustard-yolk mixture piped into the hardboiled egg shell. 

By the time their entrées arrived, the conversation was flowing easily between them. Discussion over dinner was quickly directed to talk of James’ work - the only topic the Wizarding World seemed to care about these days. James had a couple follow-up articles he was working on in addition to prep work for the upcoming trial - they had set a court date for mid-December. 

“I’ve never liked Rappaport’s law,” Troy exclaimed, “I know I have some family members in support of it, but for me it never really made sense. A bit outdated for our time.”

“Says the wizard who refuses to adopt modern technology,” Teddy teased, the old song and dance ready on this tongue.

“That’s entirely different and you know it, Teddy,” Troy replied, “that’s letting traditions die - not killing wizards because they looked at a No-Maj the wrong way.”

“You know in England we don’t have this division of Muggles and wizards like you do here,” James offered between bites, “and we get along just fine. I know there are still some of the Sacred Twenty-Eight who might like to see more separation instated but I think they would be overruled by the majority pretty easily. I’ve been doing a lot of research on Rappaport’s Law and its ramifications in the States to prepare for the trial. They want me to testify and from what I have seen, the division has only led to fear and mistrust.”

“Sacred Twenty-Eight?” Jenn asked.

“The original twenty-eight British families that are still considered truly pure-blood,” Teddy defined, “I'm technically a descendent from one of them, although they probably wouldn't acknowledge me.”

Troy looked at Teddy in surprise. “I don’t think I knew that,” he said.

Teddy nodded, “My Gran may have been disowned by the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, but my mum was still her daughter. And since my Gran has reconciled some with her sister over the years, she might be one of those more traditional sort after all.” Teddy felt James’ hand squeeze his thigh under the table at that. He laid his hand on top and squeezed back in what he hoped was reassurance, trying not to think about whether or not his mum would have been able to morph her hands to perfectly meld with someone else's. Not that James’ hand didn’t fit amazingly in his already, never failing to bring out that uniquely golden glow when they held each other. He squeezed a second time and James pushed his hips in a little closer, closing the space between them. 

“Many wizards are quick to fear what they don’t know,” Jenn chimed in. “I grew up in a small wizarding village in Wisconsin, we couldn’t afford to be too cut off from our No-Maj neighbors. Not if we wanted goods and services promptly - sometimes owlpost could take days back then.”

With the floodgates opened, conversation continued to flow. As Teddy listened to his two closest friends and boyfriend debate the validity of Rapparport’s and No-Maj - Wizarding relations, the word ‘family’ bubbled up unbidden in his mind, leaving his chest feeling slightly tight. He wasn’t entirely sure that he knew what it was to come from a family who supported each other wholeheartedly, but if this was it he wanted it here with his three favorite people in the world.

Entrées cleared away, Troy insisted on ordering dessert. He put in an order for a large slice of house-made cheesecake and decadent chocolate mousse cake for the four of them to share. Teddy had cut into the chocolate slice with his spoon when Troy caught his attention.

“Say, Teddy,” he began slowly with some trepidation, reaching out to take Jennifer’s hand, “we have something to tell you.”

Jenn laughed, “Why so somber?” she asked. “He’s going to think someone died.”

Troy’s face blanched a moment. “What?” he asked bewildered, “no one died.” 

“I know, but you’re so serious he’s gonna think someone did,” Jennifer turned to look at Teddy.

“Oh, my, Godric!” It was James who interjected excitedly, smile wide on his face. He shoved his hand over his mouth as if to keep himself from saying anything more but Teddy picked up on the train of thought.

“Wait - wait! Are you two finally pregnant?” Teddy blurted out on instinct. Jenn nodded, tears of happiness in her eyes. Teddy looked over at Troy for confirmation and found him looking at his wife in adoration.

“Congratulations!” Teddy said sincerely, wanting to throw himself across the table and give them both a hug. “I’m so happy for your both!”

“Thanks, Teddy,” Jennifer’s voice was sincere, “we wanted to tell you earlier but we also wanted to make sure I made it past the first months without any issues this time.”

“So that’s the real reason you were on my side about the cocktails,” James teased, a big grin on his face. Jennifer smiled and nodded. James pulled her to his side and pulled her into a one arm hug around the curve of the bench. “I wondered! You both deserve every bit of happiness the baby is going to bring you. I’m excited for you both.”

Teddy nodded in agreement - James was always so much better with words. “When’s the baby due?” he asked, excited.

“In the spring,” it was Troy who answered. “We were hoping that you would be the godfather.”

“Me?” Teddy was sure his voice sounded shocked. “You want me to be the godfather?”

“Who else?” Troy laughed, “There is no one else on the planet who I would rather ask.”

“I would be honored,” Teddy accepted sincerely. Teddy thought back to his early interactions with Harry. How he had looked up to his godfather with the hopes of normality, but Harry had been just a kid himself so had not been able to provide him enough to replace the family he had lost. Teddy was slightly worried that he wouldn’t be able to live up to the task. He knew the responsibility that came with being a godfather. But he found himself really wanting to fulfill that role for Troy and Jennifer’s son or daughter - if for no other reason than if anything were to ever happen to either of them their child would still know what it meant to be in a loving family. He had so many other reasons, reasons upon reasons, not the least of which was his best friend was having a baby! And he was going to be a godfather! He smiled at James as James laced their fingers together. 

Family, Teddy decided, felt as golden and bright as James’ smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being over 5k words! What did you think? How was finally meeting Jason Fischer? 
> 
> I adore all of you Readers, Commenters, Kudos-granters so much - you all are angels on earth!
> 
> Join me on tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	19. Villa Pearl

**Chapter 19 - Villa Pearl**

Villa Pearl sat on a 15-acre compound in the Hamptons. Originally constructed in the 1890s by Johannes Jonker and named for the mother-of-pearl inlay that the famous wandmaker was known for infusing into the handle of his wands, the estate was considered a Wizarding Long Island landmark. Sitting on the Mecox Bay waterfront, it boasted a pool, carriage house, and guest house and highly manicured gardens that stretched on for acres. 

Exactly one week after their dinner with Jennifer and Troy, Teddy and James Apparated to the coordinates just outside of the Villa’s gatehouse in early afternoon. The short week had ended rather quickly as most businesses in New York slowed down for the long holiday weekend. Even Teddy had closed his studio, learning long ago that wizards in America take Thanksgiving very seriously. His traffic always tended to slow down this week before ramping back up again for the holidays. Or ramping back up as much as Teddy would allow - he liked to make gifts for the holidays as well as travel back to England for Christmas, so he learned over time not to take on too much additional work as to not overwhelm. Teddy still hadn't heard back from Jason Fischer yet, but he was giving the wizard the benefit of the doubt during the holiday.

Materializing one after the other, both men were dressed smartly in semi-formal robes - James sporting deep burgundy with golden thread and Teddy in grey robes so dark they were almost black with an exposed silver zipper up the front, his hair his signature turquoise. Glancing down at his understated yet comfortably fancy robes, Teddy stole a sideways glance at James, who was looking at the gate in front of him. A light flurry of snow was falling around them - a little early in the season, but it made the atmosphere soft and quiet. 

“Wait, the Jonkers are Malfoy-level wealthy?” James whispered urgently, looking at the ornately wrought security gate. He turned to face Teddy, “You didn’t tell me the Jonkers were Malfoy-level wealthy.”

Teddy laughed at the ridiculous look on James’ face. James stuck out his bottom lip. Teddy leaned forward and kissed it. Pulling back he smiled.

“Oi James - you act like you’ve never seen a manor gate before. Troy is a member of one of the oldest wizarding families in America. His father, Cairo - you'll meet him - is a descendant of one of the original four wandmakers in the US. He still runs the family business with the help of Troy’s sister, Alexandria. I’m sure you’ll meet her too, along with her husband and their two kids - they always come for Thanksgiving. But, I mean, Troy owns a penthouse in the heart of Wizarding Manhattan - I know I live a glamorous lifestyle and all, but art doesn’t pay _that_ much.” Teddy laughed and couldn’t resist the urge to ruffle James’ hair at the look of reservation on his boyfriend’s face.

“Maybe I should have said Malfoy-level Manor then,” James shuffled his feet a little, “I guess I didn’t realize.” 

Teddy nodded, “Might have been more accurate. But - c’mon silly, it’s just Troy. You of all people know that it’s not the family you come from that determines who you are.”

Teddy took James’ hand and muttered “Evergreen” - the security password for the season. Teddy was aware that it had been selected for the wand-wood type that was harvested in the winter but he found it particularly easy to remember this season due to the color - the one that vibrated at nearly the same frequency as the one that colored Teddy's insides. 

Walking up the path, the large, white estate came into view as they turned the corner. The front door was more of an entrance really, dominated by a grand Colonial-style portico, supported on four tall columns that rose up to the height of the second floor. The site was grand but the white always screamed out at Teddy. Even still, he'd made the journey out to Villa Pearl countless times over the past ten years - Troy's family was the closest thing Teddy had to a family, at least here in the States and maybe even beyond. Once he made it past the white exterior, he knew the inside would be filled with good people and walls all colored in much more pleasing shades: Ivories, creams, soft yellows, and blues.

Teddy stopped and turned to look back at James. With the white colonial no longer in his sights, Teddy found himself calming instantly. He reached out and squeezed James' hand in a way he hoped transferred reassurance. “We can hang out with Troy and Jennifer all night if you want - I want you to have a good time,” he looked into James’ wide eyes and felt warmth spread throughout his body despite the unseasonably early flurries. “I know you’ve been through a lot recently, what with the controversy and how they want you to testify at the trial and all. You won't have to speak to anyone you don't want to. Jenn and I will be your beaters and deflect the more boisterous family members away. We can even leave if you ne-'' Teddy's rambling was cut off by James’ lips on his, warm and sweet. As James pulled back, Teddy was left widemouthed and stunned for a moment before he collected himself. James’ eyes shone bright with love as he looked at Teddy. 

“I love you for thinking of me and asking,” James' voice was full of something like reverence, “but Troy is your best mate and you should be here for him too.”

“He wouldn’t be offended,” Teddy frowned. “And it’s not as if you and I really celebrate Thanksgiving so-”

“So we’re starting a tradition?” James’ eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, startling Teddy for a moment and causing him to stutter over his words. So James continued for him, “Thanksgiving with the Jonkers, Christmas with my family, Easter with your Gran - if she still celebrates it, that is - Troy and Jennifer’s baby christening in May, and don’t forget Scorpius and Roses’ wedding-” James ticked off the events as he excitedly planned out their year, excitement clear on his face.

“Yeah,” Teddy kissed him before slipping his hand back into James’, “I guess we are.”

“Good enough for me,” James squeezed his hand tight, eyes alight with happiness. Teddy felt his heart skip a beat at the sight.

“Oi - prats!” Troy called from the door, draped in formal black dress robes with bright blue accents on the hems, “stop being all lovey-dovey and get your asses over here.”

“Prats?” Teddy laughed as they greeted Troy at the front door, “You hate when I call you that! Plus shouldn’t I be the one adopting American slang? Not you picking up my words.”

“What can I say?” Troy said as he grabbed Teddy into a one-armed hug, “Just lucky like that. Good to see you,” he stepped back. “Hi James, glad you could make it, man.”

“Hullo Troy, thanks for inviting us,” James was smiling and Teddy could see his genuine happiness carried over from the moment before.

“Oh please, you’re more than welcome - anytime,” Troy waved him off as he led them inside, through the entrance rotunda that gave rise to a domed ceiling. Carrara marble tile gave way to hardwood under their feet as Troy led them towards the kitchen, passing several rooms along the way. Troy’s mom had a knack for blending modern design elements while preserving the historical integrity of her house, and Teddy had always enjoyed the original colonial charm of the rooms in Troy’s childhood home: the elaborately designed crown moldings, wide natural wood baseboards, and the glass-cut door knobs with brass accents that all gave the manor a warm feeling.

As they filed into the rather large kitchen, the smell of apples and cinnamon wafted forth, overwhelming Teddy’s nose. Across the kitchen Teddy spied Troy’s mom near the stove, various measuring cups and spoons levitating around her, a large kitchen island standing between them. Jennifer sat at the other end wearing gorgeous fall robes with an amber floral print. She put down her phone as they walked in. Teddy was about to move to say hullo when they were accosted by a young boy with carmel brown eyes that matched his hair. 

“Uncle Troy! Uncle Troy!” he called, reaching his hands up, “guess what Sydney told me? She said that you said that mum said we could have _two_ slices of each type of pie!”

Troy reached down to swoop the boy up in his arms balancing him on his hip. “Is that so?” he asked emphatically, as his nephew nodded furiously. “We’ll have to see about all that sugar. In the meantime there’s someone I’d like you to say hi to. You remember Teddy, right? My friend with the blue hair?” The boy peered around Troy to gaze at Teddy with wide eyes. He nodded. Troy bounced him a little before stepping back towards James, “and this is his special friend James.” James gave a small wave.

“Austin, right?” Teddy asked, “you’ve gotten so big since I last saw you. What are you, three now?”

Austin tried to tuck his head at this, but when he realized it was futile to hide in Troy’s robes he lifted his head and proclaimed “I just turned four! And Sydney is still five until next week. So we’re only a year apart right now.”

“Where is your sister?” Troy asked, looking around. 

Austin shrugged, “I think she was with mom but they musta gone somewhere else.”

Troy laughed, setting his nephew back on the ground and leading their small band further into the room. Jenn smiled as they approached, slipping her phone into her dress robes. 

“Hi Teddy! Hi James! So glad you both could make it,” she said, hugging them both. “I certainly hope work isn’t driving you too crazy, James - your second article certainly caused quite a stir.”

James had published his second headlining article that factually laid out the Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation and Major Investigation Department processes for investigating both the President and his No-Maj victims. He had also published a short but exclusive interview with Shannon Ridgewilde where she gave her detailed account of events. It was that interview, which had originally been relegated to page four of the Quibbler, that became the real sensation. Apparently James had a real penchant for asking the right questions and had effectively captured the interest of the majority of the Wizarding World from behind his quill.

“Just doing my job,” James reassured with a grin. 

“Doing it rather well if I do say so myself,” Troy smiled before leaning down to kiss Jenn’s cheek. She blushed. 

“Doing what rather well?” came a high pitched voice from the corner of the room. 

“Mom!” Troy called, “Teddy and James are here - come say hi.”

There was a clang of metal on the granite as Florence Jonker turned around, wooden spoon in hand before she tucked it in her polka-dotted apron, wiping her hands and leaving flour smudges on the cotton fabric. The shape of it reminded Teddy of 1950’s fashion as she crossed the kitchen and made a beeline towards them.

“Teddy!” she exclaimed, huge smile on her face, “I’m so glad you could make it!” She pulled him in for a hug. “And who is this?” she asked, motioning for James to come over for a hug as well. Warm and welcoming the witch looked younger than her years with her voluminous dark brown hair cut to her shoulders and her hazel-green eyes shining bright beneath her fringe. 

Teddy briefly wondered how much of her youthful appearance was attributed to good genes - in the decade he’d known her she had always radiated the same youthful, almost translucent, pink - before he realized she was looking at him expectantly. “This is James Potter,” Teddy introduced. “My boyfriend.”

Pulling back from the hug, she looked down at James, who was looking at her with a level of both defiance and reverence, courage on display, as if covering up how anxious he was for the both of them. The worry proved to be all for naught though as she smiled at them, “So nice to see you finally have someone special enough to bring to dinner, Teddy. So happy to have you, James. Any friend of Teddy’s is a friend of mine.” If she was disturbed by the news, she didn’t let on in anyway. She didn’t even bulk at James’ last name either. “Please call me Florence. Everybody does. Well except my kids of course, but Mrs. Jonker is just so formal, don’t you think?”

“Thank you for having me, Florence,” James returned her smile. Teddy thought he was already looking more comfortable, like a small weight had been lifted off his shoulders. A warm glow of pride swelled in his chest. 

“You are welcome anytime,” her smile was sincere. “Teddy’s been a staple in our house for a long time - but this is the first time he’s brought anyone around,” she said truthfully. 

“Never been anyone worthy before,” Teddy muttered with a small smile.

James beamed.

“Well I hope you brought your appetite,” Florence continued, “we’ve had the house elves preparing lots of dishes all week, but I prefer to make the pies myself.” She gestured down to her apron. “So you get me a little early. Once I get this pumpkin one in the oven with the apple, I’ll go change and get ready.”

“What Mom doesn’t understand is that she always looks good no matter what she wears,” came a voice from the doorway. Teddy turned to see a young witch who looked like a spitting image of her mother - if several decades younger, a few inches taller, and her hair worn curly. She wore forest green robes with silver accents that reminded Teddy of Slytherin House colors and a warm smile on her face. 

Florence laughed. “Oh Alex - you certainly know how to flatter your ol’ mother!” she called out jokingly before turning back to her pie. Alex stepped into the kitchen towards her brother.

“Trying to score those brownie points so you don’t have to help clean the dishes or something later?” Troy grumbled but his voice held some affection.

“Nah, we can leave that to the house elves this year, right?” she playfully nudged Troy before turning to the rest of the group, “Troy got us in trouble one year as kids and we had to wash the dishes by hand,” she made a face. “Lesson learned, but he won’t ever let me forget it. Hi, I’m Alexandria, Troy’s sister - but everyone just calls me Alex,” she held out her hand to James.

“Hi,” James said, taking her hand, “James Potter. Not sure I have a shorter nickname, though my brother calls me a ‘right git’ from time to time.”

“Brothers,” Alex nodded sagely in a manner that suggested she knew what James was talking about, “Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them.” Again she nudged Troy with her elbow.

“Honestly Alex. How old _are_ you?” Troy teased.

“Younger than you, dear brother. And leading the charge for the next generation as well.”

Troy looked slightly hurt at this, but before he could retort, a girl with light brown hair burst into the kitchen. “MOM! Mom! Austin took the WizCube from me and now he’s pressing all sorts of buttons and screwing everything up!” she whined. 

Alex left to go tend to her daughter. Teddy tapped Troy on the shoulder, “Does she not know?” he asked softly. 

Troy shook his head. “We thought we might announce it to the family after dinner tonight.”

Teddy nodded as Alex scooped up her daughter, crisis averted for now, and she turned back towards the group, “-besides there’s some people I’d like you to say hello to,” she finished saying to Sydney.

“Hi Sydney,” Teddy said cheerfully, “do you remember me? We colored together last year,”

The girl nodded slowly as if she really did remember. 

“I would like you to meet someone very special to me,” he turned to James, who was already offering the little girl a charming smile much like he would give one of his younger cousins. 

“Hi, I’m James - and you must be Sydney. I’ve heard a lot about you - your brother said you could each eat two slices of each pie.”

Sydney’s eyes widened as she nodded. She tucked her head into her mother’s neck. 

“Okay, okay,” Alex bounced her a bit before setting her on the ground, “do you think you can go help Grandma?” she asked and Sydney scampered over towards the corner where Florence was putting the finishing touches on her pumpkin pie.

All in all, Teddy thought, Thanksgiving was off to a good start.

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner was to be served at 6pm. Guests started trickling in about a quarter past five, mingling and enjoying hors d'oeuvres that were being passed around by three house elves, each clad in white button up shirts with gold mandalas imprinted on the cotton. They looked very dapper and happy. Helping himself to some bourbon-soaked meatballs, an annual staple and one of his and Troy’s favorites since the first year he came for Thanksgiving. Teddy was tempted to charm the mandalas to move in circles, but he restrained the impulse.

With James being new to the Thanksgiving festivities, Troy had appointed himself both Minister of Social Affairs and welcoming committee of sorts, showing Jennifer, Teddy and James around, introducing them to various witches and wizards as they arrived. Troy’s maternal Grandmother Elieen was one of the first to show, turning up a little early with a large bouquet of flowers, which Troy promptly conjured up a vase for before passing them along to the house elf named Hockey - who promised to find a prominent place to display them. 

Somehow the responsibility of introducing James consistently fell to Troy. Unlike with his mom the term boyfriend was never explicitly used, but somehow Troy still made it clear James belonged with Teddy. When Troy’s paternal grandparents arrived, Carson and his wife Eleanor remembered Teddy by name and were very excited to introduce him to Troy’s Great Uncle Jackson, whose daughter was traveling this year for the holiday so he was spending Thanksgiving with his brother. 

“Grandpa is the oldest of three, he’s got a younger sister and brother,” Troy explained to James, as Teddy fought to keep his anxiety down with the crowd that was steadily growing in size. The reintroductions were always the hardest part, it would all be over soon though he reminded himself. Stealing a glance over at James, hoping to tap into his boyfriend’s strength, he realized that Troy was still talking, “-But we don’t talk about his sister. Some family drama there - Oh! Aunt Cheyanne!” he greeted a woman with dark brown hair in very stylish robes, “How’s my favorite Aunt? There’s someone I want you to meet-”

The whirlwind continued and Jennifer slipped off as James and Teddy were formally introduced to Troy’s Aunt Cheyenne, who arrived with his Uncle Cornell and his two cousins - Kingston, who was finishing up his seventh year at Ilvermorny, and Brooklyn, who had just completed her Auror training and was now officially part of the squad. 

“Your hair!” Jenn exclaimed as she hugged the younger witch, “it looks so good!”

Brooklyn’s hair was always styled in the latest wizarding trends. This year it was cut to her shoulders, silver at the roots before becoming a kaleidoscope of colors towards the ends, rainbow ringing out to Teddy like a song. Teddy wondered if he could get his own hair to do that - he had never tried that many different colors at once before.

“Thank you!” Brooklyn smiled sincerely, “That Marcus Flint Salon in Manhattan Main works wonders, don’t they? I’ll have to set you up with my stylist, she would go crazy for your long, brown locks - have you ever even spell-dyed it?”

Jennifer shook her head, “I don’t think they could recreate my color with a spell and I don’t want to change my natural color just yet. Though Teddy might be able to match it with paint,” she gestured towards him with a smile. Teddy offered her one back before Troy led him and James away again.

It was after they were introduced to Troy’s Uncle Caspian, his dad’s youngest sibling who, oddly enough, remained unmarried and single, that James pulled Troy aside. 

“Um, Troy? Not to be rude, but was there a special on location names in your family or something?” He looked almost exhilarated as he asked, an expression Teddy was coming to associate with James’ reporter antics.

Troy laughed, big and booming, as if James had told the funniest joke in the world. “Nah,” he said once he calmed down a bit, “just everyone on my dad’s side has place names going as far back as we can remember. At least all the way back to my great great - however many greats - grandfather Johannes Jonker, who was named after Johannesburg, South Africa. My dad - he’s the oldest of four. There’s him, Cairo, his sisters Cheyenne and Charlotte, and their youngest brother Caspian,” Troy shrugged slightly as he counted them off laughing a little, “I guess my grandparents got the ultimate deal on “C”-location names specifically. For as long as I've been alive, my dad has always said he knew my mom was ‘the one’ from the moment he learned her name was Florence. I guess he wanted to carry on the tradition too - I mean, look at me and Alexandria,” Troy gestured to himself, as if to illustrate the point. “I guess my parents liked the ancient cities. My sister was practically expected to carry on the naming tradition, and we plan to too - once the baby comes,” he missed the inquisitive look on James face as he turned to Teddy, “you know, Jenn and I already started to make a list.”

Teddy raised his eyebrows, and Troy lowered his voice, “Of baby names. I’m partial to Easton for a boy, Milan for a girl. But then, both Jenn and I liked the name London a lot. I told her I would check with you on that one.”

Teddy was touched his friends would even think to ask him before they named their child after his home city. Honestly he was honored it was even being considered. He smiled, “If you both like that name, I give you my blessing to use it.”

Troy laughed, “I’ll let Jenn know.”

“Let me know what?” Jennifer rounded the corner, munching on a mini cranberry-brie tart. Both men looked up at her like they had been caught red-handed. She and James both laughed at their matching expressions of guilt.

Before long the guests were all ushered into a large ballroom. The space almost dwarfed its inhabitants - even if there were nearly fifty people inside. Three stairs led down to a dark wooden floor that was so polished it gleamed like a frozen lake. Colonial chandeliers adorned with crystals hung from recesses between the walnut wood moldings that had been carved with precision. Shimmering cream-colored walls were broken up every few meters or so with tall columns. A grand piano stood on a small stage at the far end of the room. Teddy had been so impressed by the room’s grandeur, somehow still infused with warmth, during his first Thanksgiving with the Jonkers that he had sketched out the space afterward and had given it to the family for Christmas. Almost ten years on, his piece was now a permanent fixture in the room, hanging in an ornate frame on the wall just inside the entryway.

Two long parallel tables ran the length of the room, dressed with show-stopping arrangements of pumpkins, gourds, nuts, fruits, veggies and other seasonal blooms. On top of each vintage china place setting sat square pieces of brown paper beneath a Turkey-feather quill. As the guests took their seats, Troy led Jennifer, Teddy and James towards the front of the first table, gesturing for them all to sit just behind his sister and her family. Behind them sat Troy’s two cousins, Kingston and Brooklyn. As Troy had predicted weeks ago, the Graves were nowhere to be seen. 

“Welcome family and friends,” a Sonorused voice called from the stage. A hush fell over the room.

“Thank you for joining us for our little annual Thanksgiving dinner,” Troy’s father stood onstage, a distinguished wizard with hair made more rugged by its salt and pepper tint and his eyes more friendly from the crow’s feet under them. He wore pinstripe dress robes and a large grin. To Teddy’s eye his features and square jaw-line radiated out with almost an opalescent sheen - something that had taken him aback when he’d first seen it, but now he’d come to associate it with Cairo Jonker. The audience’s polite laugh faded away as he continued.

“Florence and I-” he looked around the room, spotting his wife, nodding in her direction, and motioning for her to join him on stage. Teddy noticed that at some point she had changed into a burnt orange velvet and lace robe that she paired over a brown fit-and-flare dress that sparkled when she walked, framing her neck with a classic crew neckline that was further enhanced by the large yellow diamond on her necklace. The colors together rang out in a warm hum that reminded Teddy of fall.

“Florence and I,” Cairo repeated as she walked up beside him. He wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her close. They looked poised together on the stage. “We are so very excited that you could all join us this year. Now, most of you know that I like to say a few words before we eat.” There was a brief chuckle at that and Troy’s Uncle called out, “Speech, speech brother!” while raising up his drink in salute. 

Cairo chuckled, “Yes, well - Caspian, don’t worry, I am dragging you up here next,” more chuckles filled the room as Caspian put down his glass and waved his brother off. “But on a more serious note, thank you all for coming and sharing in our family tradition with us. I know it’s not always easy to get us all into the same room, but with each passing year I find this particular meal to hold more significance. As my kids get older and my grandkids grow up, I find it remarkable that it takes a holiday like this to get us all in the same room.”

Brooklyn leaned over as Cairo continued to talk, her hair almost brushing Teddy on the shoulder as she peered around him to look at Troy - James and Jennifer had sat across from them respectively. “Hey Troy,” she whispered as James playfully kicked Teddy’s shin under the table. Teddy grinned at his boyfriend as Brooklyn leaned over him towards Troy, “are we sneaking off to Manhattan Main for Black Friday deals this year? Mom wanted the new Emma Vane robes this year and Kingston told me they’re going to be 30% off- 

“Brooke, can this wait?” Troy hissed back, turning his attention back to his father.

“Isn’t Manhattan Main going to be a zoo anyway?” Teddy whispered under his breath. Manhattan Main was the wizarding shopping center akin to No-Maj’s fifth avenue - brimming with the latest wizarding designers, it catered to an elite clientele that demanded a level of service unrivaled by other wizarding pockets of the city. Teddy had only been there a handful of times himself, and many of those had been when he had his dress robe fittings as Troy’s best man for his and Jenn’s wedding. 

“Kingston, Troy, Jennifer and I braved it all last year,” Brooklyn shrugged, but settled back into her chair to listen. 

“-as a wise wizard once said, ‘showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.’ In the spirit of that I would like to invite you all to take part in our little tradition and share with one another what you’re grateful for. Each of you has some paper and a quill in front of you, yes? Most of you know how this works already, but should you feel like telling someone what you’re thankful for, write it down on the paper, fold it in half, address their name, hold it up, and let the magic do the rest. It’s completely voluntary, so don’t feel compelled if you’re opposed, but it’s nice to share with each other the things we value - we certainly don’t do it enough these days.” Cairo raised his glass at this and someone called out “hear, hear!” Teddy could practically feel James’ eyes boring into him as he continued to watch the stage.

“And now, I think my wonderful wife had something to say?” Florence nodded. “Take it away, honey,” he pushed her forward gently. 

“Well, I know you’re all dying to eat so I will try to be brief, but I wanted to take the opportunity to welcome you all. Cairo and I are both so happy to have all of you here with us. Thank you for helping make our holiday brighter,” she smiled sincerely before saying the magic words, “and now, let’s eat!”

Wine glasses filled with red wine and the turkey-feather quill and paper were set off to the side of each place setting as a steaming bowl of asparagus corn harvest soup appeared in front of each guest. Teddy’s mouth watered at the sight as he dug in. The soup was warm and tasted like it was made with cream, despite Troy’s insistence it was vegan. That got James’ attention.

“It is?” he asked, surprised, “Do you think I could get the recipe?” 

“Uh, sure, it’s not like it’s a big family secret or something,” Troy said, “any reason you ask?”

“My brother is opening a vegan restaurant in Diagon Alley, Wizarding London, and I think he would love to make this,” he helped himself to another spoonful as Florence stopped behind Jennifer and James.

“My little family recipe is going to be featured at a Potter’s restaurant in England? James, my dear, if that’s the case, I will be sure the house elves get you the recipe - I don’t really make much by hand anymore except desserts,” she smiled at them, tapping her cheek in thought, “Isn’t Diagon Alley where the original Madam Malkins is? Maybe if your brother adds this to his menu we’ll have to make a trip out there...”

James smiled, “I’ll let Al know.”

“Mom, you should take a seat and join us - everyone else is enjoying themselves, you don’t have to work so hard,” Troy implored, while at the same time laying down his turkey quill next to a folded piece of brown paper beside him. Teddy caught the name “Alexandria” on the front before the ink dried down and vanished into the paper. Troy held the slip up into the air and it took flight, taking on a mysterious candle-light like glow, before flitting around in a couple circles near the ceiling, joining half a dozen others that were already making their way around the room. 

The movement had caught James’ eye and he looked up in wonder. “It’s like Quidditch,” he breathed, seemingly unable to stop the words from coming out of his mouth. His look of amazement was adorable and Teddy felt his chest tighten as he smiled. 

The first time Teddy had encountered this tradition, he didn’t want to be rude, but he also didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t accustomed to sharing the things he was grateful for, mainly because the list felt pathetically short. He was grateful for his Gran and his Godfather but he felt like they didn’t really understand him. Once upon a time he’d thought he’d been grateful for Victoire, but she had shattered that illusion all by herself. He was grateful for his ability to draw and artistic talents giving him a world he could escape into, but he didn’t really feel comfortable saying that out loud - and besides that would be a note to himself. He’d always be grateful to Ruby for taking a chance offering him his apprenticeship - but she wasn’t at the Jonkers for Thanksgiving and he thought that type of message should be delivered directly. 

But Teddy was eternally grateful that he’d met Troy and very thankful for his friendship. Before meeting him Teddy had been starved for a friend who understood him, who thought like he did. Not that Troy had gotten it right all the time, but he had been accepting of Teddy without judgement, sharing his love for his home and hometown unquestioningly. Teddy hadn’t known how to put all that gratitude into words. But he wanted to try. So instead of writing, Teddy used the only language he could - he drew. 

He had started with sketches of the tablescapes for Florence and Cairo, a simple “thank you” and the date scrawled beneath the image. Two years ago he’d sketched a unicorn for Sydney who had been three years old and going through an intense pony and unicorn phase, enchanting it to gallop across the page. She had been delighted. And for Troy and Jennifer he’d drawn little cartoons that depicted their friendship - he’d illustrate funny moments throughout the year, or inside jokes only they would understand. For this year Teddy already knew what he wanted to draw.

Picking up the turkey quill, Teddy started to sketch Troy standing behind Jennifer with his arm wrapped around her pregnant belly. Teddy tried to inject love and pride as best he could into the quick illustration. Taking a leaf from James’ MajGram playbook he wrote 1+1=3 on the bottom before he folded the paper and penned Jenn&Troy on the front, watching as the ink vanished. He held the note up in the air and felt it lift out of his fingertips. He turned back to his next blank sheet.

“You know, I’ve never done this before,” James’ voice distracted Teddy, “There’s no incantation? I just write a message and fold it up?”

Jenn nodded as she sent up a paper of her own. “Yup,” she confirmed, “it will get delivered only to the person or people you address it to.”

James folded his sheet, small smile on his face and he held it up. It took flight. 

“At least we don’t have to all go around and say it all out loud - I hear that’s a No-Maj thing - far more personal this way, I think,” Troy said as he closed his next sheet of paper and wrote ‘Florence’ on the top. Teddy knew from prior years that he couldn’t just write “mom” or “dad” - too many were in the room at once.

As if on cue Teddy’s sketch landed in Jennifer’s lap. She opened it up and smiled, “aw Teddy - I love it, thank you!” She closed up the paper and it hopped across the table to Troy, who dropped his own quill to open it up immediately.

“Oi Teddy, could we use this for our announcement owls?” he asked seriously, happiness in his eyes, “Either way, we're totally going to need to save this one with the others.”

Teddy blushed as he shrugged, “At least let me re-draw it nicely for you if you want to use it-” at the same time James’ asked “-the others?”

Troy nodded, “Teddy’s been making us little cartoons every year.”

“And you’ve _kept_ them?” Teddy asked, surprised.

“Of course!” Jenn said, “Why wouldn’t we? They’re mini works of art!”

Just then a piece of paper fluttered in front Teddy - he reached out to grab it. Curious he opened it - 

Teddy felt his chest constrict as he looked up at James, feeling warm. He was certain his cheeks were bright red. James’ gave him a smile that threatened to melt his heart. He resisted leaning across the table and snogging him right there.

Feeling his creativity spark, he turned back to his blank sheet of paper and sketched James on his broom. He decided to make him a seeker in the image - creating a little golden snitch in front of James, depicting the moment he reached out to catch it, Quidditch robes billowing behind him from the forward momentum. Teddy charmed illustrated-James to move - the sketch reaching out to catch the snitch, holding it up in victory. Beneath it, Teddy penned in his half cursive, half print: 

He took a moment to admire the whole thing - it wasn’t perfect and left a lot to be desired when trying to tell James how he felt - but it would have to do because he really couldn’t make it any better, not right now with his heart beating fast and his body tingling.

Quickly adding ‘I love you’ to the bottom right hand corner, Teddy addressed the note to his boyfriend when the tables suddenly filled with all the traditional fixings Teddy had come to associate with Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, and hot buttery rolls. There were some more unconventional dishes as well: honey glazed ham, roasted carrots with farro and chickpeas, chopped brussels sprout salad with roasted pears and blue cheese, and large bowls of cut fruit. Everything smelled wonderful but holding up his newly addressed paper Teddy gazed at James across the table and found he didn’t really need any of it to feel full and warm - he already had everything he ever wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Randy Pausch should be a wizard in his next life if he wasn't already one in his last. The quote is his, not mine. (Did anybody recognize it? Bonus points if you spotted it!)
> 
> Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays - I just love the fall, the food, the kickoff to the holiday season just around the corner... Bringing this tradition into the Wizarding World I wanted to do it justice. I spent a long time carefully crafting what it would look like. I really hope it left you with the warm and fuzzies.
> 
> Feedback, Comments, Kudos - I am grateful and thankful for each and every one of them. Please keep them coming - they brighten my day and motivate me more than you know!
> 
> In the meantime, find me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	20. Black Friday

**Chapter 20 - Black Friday**

With dinner and desserts served, guests slowly departed for the evening, though many of the family members remained, choosing to move the party from the ballroom into the living room. Teddy excused himself to the loo. Making a pitstop into the kitchen on the way back to ask the house elves for another glass of wine, he went to join the Jonkers in the living room. He found Brooklyn standing in the middle enthusiastically regaling a story to her captive audience of four: James, Troy, Jenn, and her mother, Cheyenne. Troy was working his way through his third slice of pie. Teddy had no idea how he had room to devour anything else. 

“-so anyway, I have my boss asking me if I’m married and this other bastard of a co-worker telling me I dress too casually for a woman in the department. Like my wardrobe doesn’t cost more than he makes in an entire year!” She spread her arms wide as if to show off her pink robes embroidered with flowers. Even from a distance, Teddy could tell that they were of high quality.

“So what happened?” Jennifer asked with rapt curiosity.

“Well I made up a story about being engaged and then told my boss he couldn’t say things like that anymore. Not with the President on trial. He just laughed in my face,” her face fell, "called the whole thing nothing, and said that President Quahog would be fine, adding something else about the No-Maj women deserving what they got. It made me so mad - as long as there’s people in power like that there’s no hope for the rest of us.”

James scowled, “It’s not just here in the US, you know? Wizards in power all over the world think they have the right to take whatever they want just because they can.”

Teddy came to sit down next to James, pressing their legs together as they all made room for him on the couch. “Care to elaborate?” he asked sincerely.

James shrugged, “I- I mean, I just understand is all. Hell, I made headlines just a few weeks ago because I didn’t want to give Madison a kiss! And back in England-” he paused here, uncertain, as if considering something before continuing, “...some people just know how to take advantage of others. Least here in America, it makes the news when it happens. Gets people talking.”

“It makes the news when you do it, you mean,” Jennifer pointed out, leaning back against Troy as she continued talking. 

Teddy stopped listening and instead, with a concerned look, leaned closer to James. Teddy could tell that James wasn't telling the whole truth, his words had been too heavy, but chose to let it go for another time. Teddy rubbed small circles on his back. “Alright, love?” he whispered into James’ ear as the conversation continued on around them.

James’ whole face flushed, whether with anger or embarrassment, Teddy couldn’t tell. But he nodded, “Yeah, I’m okay.” He tried to smile, but looked slightly forced to Teddy. Not the lustrous gold he was used to, but still worth more than galleons to Teddy.

“-I’m not super happy they’re holding the trial before Christmas, but at least whatever they decide will all be over before the holidays,” Brooklyn’s voice brought Teddy back to the present, “My department only knows how to move fast when it suits them,” she pushed aside some books on the ornate coffee table and sat down on its glass surface. 

“Brooke, get off the coffee table - you know better than that. On both accounts.” Cheyenne said, shooting a sidelong glance towards James.

Brooklyn rolled her eyes but stood up anyway. “Oh c'mon mom, if I can’t talk about work or the trial, what am I supposed to talk about?”

“Pick any one of a million other topics, why don’t you?”

“But what’s Thanksgiving without controversial discussion topics with family?”

“Brooklyn,” Cheyenne’s voice sounded stern yet exasperated, “we talked about this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Brooklyn waved her hands, “‘we’re better than our No-Maj counterparts,’ blah blah blah,” her mocking tone was clear.

“Well we _are_ ,” Cheyenne insisted, “and you know this is hardly the time or place.”

“Fine,” she said, resigned, throwing herself down on the couch in frustration, which didn’t appear to last very long as she looked over at her cousin. “So are we doing Black Friday this year?” she asked Troy.

“I’m not sure about this year,” Troy shot Jennifer a meaningful look, running his hand down her leg. “Do you want to?”

“Actually, I am thinking we should go,” Jennifer replied, slipping her hand into her husband’s. “Want to join us?” she asked James. “It would be your first Black Friday experience, no?”

James nodded, “Yeah, it would. I’m not sure if I should be scared or excited by the idea, but I would be game if Teddy is,” he looked pointedly in Teddy’s direction.

“How about it, Teddy?” Troy asked, “Feel like joining in the crazy?”

“I can’t say I _want_ to, but if James wants to I would go,” Teddy resigned himself, “but you know, the only thing Black Friday is good for is the international travel deals.” Personally he had no desire to brave the onslaught of shoppers, but just because he didn’t want to take part in the American tradition didn’t mean he didn’t take advantage of the deals - typically United Flooways had some kind of good 24-hour offer on international Portkeys, and WizNet made it easy to place orders for anything else that might catch his interest. 

“Going back home for Christmas then?”

Teddy nodded and looked towards James, “We both are.” 

“I guess I just forgot you don’t do Christmas shopping,” Troy said, “I wish I had the drive to make everyone presents. Yours are always so impressive."

“Except for his Gran, she’s the only one he ever buys something for,” James jumped in with a grin. 

Teddy gave James an odd look. It was true, he’d long ago stopped making gifts for his Gran when he found one of his works in her attic by his parents’ old things. That was enough to realize he should just buy her gifts she would like. But he hadn’t realized James had paid so much attention to that little detail though. 

“What? You’ve always made all our gifts. I still have the nutcracker you made for me that year you got super into woodworking. And the sweatshirt from the second year of your apprenticeship when you and Troy did that magical tie-dye - the colors have faded some over the years, but they still swirl. I used to wear it during Quidditch warmups. And the year you turned my parent’s old Weasley jumpers into scarves? I still wear mine from time to time, and I know Lils does too! And of course all the various paintings you’ve done - I’ve kept every one of the pieces you’ve made for me, and I know mum and dad have a whole wall of your art by now. Yeah, your Gran is the only one you ever buy for, but who cares? Least your gifts are personal.” 

Teddy opened his mouth to reply but before he could Florence's voice floated over from behind the couch, “Oh, Teddy’s made us some phenomenal paintings and sketches over the years,” she said excitedly as she stepped in front of their little group, “Thank you for the ‘thank you’ sketch this year, Teddy. We will have to add it with the others.”

Teddy grimaced, looking around, “Does everyone keep those things?” He refrained from adding the word stupid. 

“Well, I mean, Teddy, you have to admit,” James pulled out a folded piece of brown paper and held it between his two fingers, holding it up and down and twisting it back and forth teasingly, smile bright in his eyes, “they’re well worth keeping.”

As James beamed at him, Teddy thought of James’ note safely tucked away in his pocket next to his wand and gave a small smile - maybe they were worth keeping after all. 

Florence nodded in agreement, turning to James, “Last year Teddy gifted Cairo and I a landscape painting he did of Villa Pearl. I had it hung in the portrait room. Would you like to see it, James?”

James glanced over at Teddy before looking back up at her and nodding eagerly. Standing up to follow her, he gave Teddy’s leg a squeeze before he left. Teddy’s eyes followed him across the room, admiring him from behind. Troy laughed and Teddy averted his eyes. 

“Oh mom must really like him if she’s kidnapped him,” Troy joked in approval, watching as they walked out of the room, “aren’t you going to go rescue him?”

“Maybe in a minute,” Teddy groaned. Why was it that everyone either revered his little sketches more than he did or didn’t care at all? Pondering this dichotomy, he sank deeper into the couch. 

“Hey, you okay? You might want to go rescue James before my mom interrogates the shit outta him.”

“I know he can handle himself,” Teddy said proudly, “but maybe I should anyway.” He glanced towards the doorway they’d left through.

“Haha, go after your boyfriend,” Troy encouraged, “and bring them both back when you’re done.”

“Yes, sir,” Teddy joked, standing up.

Teddy wandered down the hall, past the ballroom and the enormous library, both of which spanned two stories in height, and walked up the grand staircase. The wrought iron railing cast shadows on the carpet as he ascended. He passed several closed doors as he headed down to where he knew the portrait hall to be. 

“-so has Teddy done any of these?” he heard James asking as he approached, rapt curiosity in his voice.

“None of the family,” he heard Florence reply, “but I’ve asked him to do mine and Cairo’s portrait when the time comes.”

“Not Troy?” James asked curiously as Teddy rounded the corner. He noticed James had a small, dark red leather notebook in his hands - different from the one he’d showed Teddy the other day.

Florence shook her head, “I think Teddy’s a more impartial party to do my husband and I greater justice.” Behind her several of the portraits nodded their heads in agreement. “This hall tracks my husband’s family back to the signing of the Declaration of Wizarding Independence and the creation of the Magical Congress.” Teddy watched as she led them both over to a portrait depicting Troy’s grandparents.

“Troy told me that his Grandpa Carson had a sister,” James ventured brazenly.

Teddy watched as Florence nodded slowly, “He did, but nobody talks about her much.”

“Why not?”

“Well I’ve been told she was a squib. Or never really demonstrated any power of her own. I believe her parents cast her out when she never received her letter to Ilvermory and they sent her to a boarding school for the magically-challenged in New Jersey. Horrid place that - for more reasons than one,” Florence shuddered. “They did experiments, tried to restore her magic. I don’t think it ever worked. She ended up going a little crazy. When she eventually graduated, if you can call it that, she married a man they said was a werewolf and disappeared. I’m not sure anyone has heard from her since.”

Teddy felt his heart jump to his throat.

“What was her name?” James asked with sincerity.

“Savannah,” the man in the portrait answered, “her name was Savannah.” 

Teddy decided this was the moment to make his presence known. He knocked on the door frame before walking towards the pair.

“Hey you two, I was sent to look for you. I think Troy wants us all back in the living room.”

Florence gave Teddy an odd look, “Whatever for?” she asked, already moving toward the door. 

Teddy shrugged as if he didn’t know, watching as James scribbled something into his notebook before quickly pocketing it away again. He walked up to Teddy and happily wrapped him in his arms, “Then we should head back, shouldn’t we?” he supplied helpfully. "Any chance of getting some coffee as well?

“I’ll ask the house elves to bring some in,” Florence supplied helpfully, heading out in front of the boys.

“She wasn’t too much, was she?” Teddy asked once she was out of earshot, “I know she can be a little bit much. Troy sent me to see if you were alright.” 

“We were fine,” James reassured brightly, “Don’t worry so much.” He leaned over and kissed Teddy’s cheek.

The walk back to the living room was short. When Teddy turned the corner he saw it was considerably more crowded than when he’d left. Troy and Jennifer were standing by the fireplace. Jennifer was holding Austin, bouncing him on her hip. Teddy saw Sydney and Alex nearby, Alex looked like she was in deep discussion with her dad.

“Hey everyone, can I have your attention for a moment?” Troy’s voice rang out across the room. The noise level decreased dramatically. A coffee floated over to James, who wrapped his hands around the cup as Teddy wrapped his arm around James’ waist.

“We, Jenn and I,” Troy looked at Jennifer and smiled, “we have some news. Do you want to tell them, sweetie?”

Jenn smiled and looked at Troy, swaying slightly as she said, “We’re expecting!” With a big smile on her face, she looked down at Austin. "You're going to have a baby cousin!”

The room erupted all at once. Austin wrapped his arms around his aunt’s neck before she let him down to accept the congratulations that were coming in all around them. Florence and Cairo both rushed up to hug them both, proud smiles on their faces. The room felt warm and alive with new energy after the exciting news.

As the chatter around them grew, Teddy turned to James, “So, good first Thanksgiving?”

“You know, I don’t think I could have imagined anything better.”

Teddy tightened his grip and squeezed him close. Taking in the excitement in the room, he found he had to agree. 

* * *

Friday morning dawned early as Teddy awoke to James tearing the comforter off of him. “Good morning, Sunshine!” came his voice, far too bright for the early hour, “time to get up. We’re meeting Jenn and Troy and Brooklyn-”

Teddy groaned, “When was this decided?”

“Last night, before we Disapparated. We said we would meet at Manhattan Main this morning, and I have to be honest - I’m kinda excited. Brooklyn was telling me all about the Quality Quidditch Emporium they have now after they expanded here a few years back. And, being in New York, they have all kinds of American National League exclusive stuff! Up! Please, Teddy?” James gave him puppy dog eyes, “I’ll go make you a hot chocolate,” he sweetened the deal.

It was a testament to how much he loved James that he got out of bed, “Make it a mocha and you have a deal.”

“Done!” James skipped off to the kitchen with far too much energy.

Twenty minutes later, showered, dressed, and mocha in hand, Teddy and James sidealonged to the Apparition point near Manhattan Main. The premier luxurious stretch of retail in Wizarding Manhattan hosted multiple high-end designer stores, most multiple stories tall, retrofitted into 18th-century architecture, beckoning wizards to come inside. Now, the day after Thanksgiving, the entire street was decorated for Christmas, many of its famed fantastical holiday window displays enchanted to entice and delight were already drawing a crowd as witches and wizards eagerly queued up for deals outside various shops. 

Teddy and James had barely stepped onto the street when Troy’s Newfoundland Patronus wandered up to them. “The girls are in line at Emma Vane - but I thought James might be more interested in going to the Quality Quidditch Emporium, so I got in line over there,” came Troy’s voice, “feel free to join either of us.” 

The dog vanished, message complete.

James smiled, “Might as well go meet up with Troy. Don't want him to get lonely in the Quidditch Emporium, do we?”

Teddy laughed and led the way.

They found Troy near the front of the line. Joining him, they got a few dirty looks from the wizard behind him. 

“Hey- no cutting!” the man cried out, but he was drowned out by a cry of, “-Oh Merlin, are you James Potter?” 

“That’s James Potter!” another joined in. 

“What’s James Potter doing in line?” Commotion rang out as word spread that James was there.

James looked visibly torn between addressing the crowd, escaping into the store, or Disapparating on the spot. Teddy hoped he wouldn’t do the latter - it would only cause his boyfriend more trouble. His heart flew out to him, unsure what to do. As it was, James’ confidence was visibly waning as the crowd around them grew. James gave Teddy a slightly uncomfortable look, begging for support, to which Teddy could do nothing but look over at Troy, who gave him an equally bewildered look in return. 

“Say, is it true you aren’t playing quidditch at all anymore?” a witch called.

“You really had it out for the president, huh? What's he ever done to you?” A wizard's voice this time.

“Of course he doesn’t! They asked him to testify at the trial - if you actually read his publications you’d know…” that sounded like a younger witch.

“I saw he rejected Madison Graves a bit ago - always knew something was off there,” the wizard's voice again.

And on the comments went. Unsure of what to do, James opened his mouth to try and respond when they were rescued at that moment by a tall wizard with long, shiny, black hair, “James Potter?” The voice was kind, if a tad assertive. James nodded. “Come with me.” 

James motioned to Troy and Teddy that they should follow. Teddy hoped he was projecting more confidence than he felt.

“My apologies for the commotion, Mr. Potter, we didn’t know you were coming today. My name is Ellis, I’m the manager here at Quality Quidditch Emporium.” He held open the door for them and led them through. The commotion of the crowd now behind them, Teddy found himself looking up through the open interior of the store at the six stories above him, each level showcasing different Quidditch supplies. Various witches and wizards milled about shopping on each floor. The ceiling was enchanted to play highlights from various Quidditch World Cups throughout the ages. Teddy loved this part of the store and had always wondered what spells were maintaining the images and if he might be able to use it in his own experiments - it was a very impressive bit of magic. As they wandered up through the store’s levels towards the top, all the while dodging those patrons that chose to browse the store while still on a broom, he glanced over at James who now looked just as overwhelmed as he had a few minutes ago with the crowd, except now his eyes were wide with excitement and happiness as he took in his surroundings.

“-we offer six stories of unique experiences,” Ellis was informing them as they climbed, “our first floor is where you’ll find our newest products. Going up we offer Quidditch gear for both fans and players - uniforms, robes, gloves, and the like. On the fourth floor we offer a collection of the finest Broomsticks from around the world, and on the fifth is where you’ll find our Quaffles, Bludgers, Snitches and other equipment.”

“And the sixth floor?” Troy asked, looking excited.

“The sixth floor is Quality Quidditch Studio - which is where we’re headed now. I’m actually going to introduce you to Annie - she’s one of our top experts - who can help you out with all your shopping today up here, so you can avoid the crowds down there,” he gestured behind him, as they approached a frosted glass door. Ellis held it open and the trio filed in. The room was nearly empty by comparison to the rest of the store and reminded Teddy of the Quidditch locker rooms mixed with the Hufflepuff common room, except the colors were predominantly red and blue. A very tall woman with long, blond hair entered behind them.

“This is Annie,” Ellis introduced, “I will leave you in her capable hands.”

VIP shopping was very different from fighting Black Friday crowds, Teddy learned when they left the Quidditch Emporium forty-five minutes later. Annie had ended up being a great help, pointing out various items and helping to pull anything they asked her too - in the end James left with two bags full of Christmas gifts for his family, including two American League jerseys for both Al and his mum, a jumper for his dad, and an oversized sweatshirt for Lily, plus two T-shirts for himself: one showcasing the American League slogan on the front - A Game Above All. Above All A Game. - and the Quidditch Pitch in the back, and a second that listed out broomstick names through the ages down the back. “I can’t not get these!” James had gushed when he tried them on. Teddy had to admit they looked very good on him.

Even Troy picked up a small haul, leaving with a little onesie that read “I’m a Keeper” on the front - “I’ll give it to Jenn,” he laughed, “she’ll love it!” - along with a training broomstick for Sydney. “She’s been asking to fly and it’ll give Alex a heart attack!” he grinned. Teddy admired all the products but he didn’t see anything he wanted, and he certainly didn’t see anything for his Gran, so he left the store empty-handed.

“Well, that was an experience,” James exclaimed as they walked down Manhattan Main to meet Jennifer and Brooklyn who had moved on to Voclain & Co., the famed jewelry shop. “I’m kinda relieved that I didn’t have to deal with that crowd.”

“Do we need to hide you now?” Troy laughed as they walked down the street. Teddy slipped his hand into James’, taking one of his bags in the other.

“Nah,” James laughed, “I’m hoping that’s a one time thing.”

“With your articles and notoriety, it may not be,” Troy frowned.

“It’s okay,” James reassured, “I’ve got the best bodyguards.” He squeezed Teddy’s hand.

“But- but we didn’t even do anything!” Teddy protested a little as they rounded the corner and the store came into view.

“Maybe not,” James shook his head with a small smile, “but I could tell you were both concerned. Had things escalated I have no doubt you would have gotten me out of there - even if I could have handled myself. I think anyway. It’s- it’s just nice to know you’re there for me, you know?”

Teddy felt his heart skip a beat and he gripped James’ hand tighter.

Voclain & Co was a fixture of Manhattan Main, towering five stories, and wizards world-wide could instantly identify the jeweler from their signature lavender boxes with silver bows. Rumor had it that the founder John Voclain had been a behind-the-scenes collaborator with one Charles Lewis Tiffany but no wizard wanted to look into that too deeply. Their holiday window displays always drew a crowd as their designers always found a way to top themselves year over year. This year it looked like they were using real fairies in their display, pixie dust enhancing the timeless designs and elegant diamonds, and a small crowd was gathered outside looking in at the famed displays. The three of them passed by easily, Troy leading the way and holding open the door. 

Not having much need for shopping at the leading authority on quality Wizarding jewelry in the States, the last time Teddy had been inside the store had been years ago when Troy had made Teddy come with him to help pick out Jennifer's engagement ring. That had been on an extremely warm July day, but today the heat of the store was a welcome relief from the cold outside. They greeted Jenn and Brooklyn inside, both surrounded by floating shopping bags.

“Well, looks like you certainly got a lot accomplished,” Troy complimented their haul, leaning over to kiss Jenn on the cheek, “successful morning?”

“This is our third stop,” Jenn confirmed, turning to James, “we don’t usually buy anything in here but it’s tradition to stop in - just doesn’t feel like the holidays without it,” she explained, mainly for James’ benefit.

“Hard to deny the shiny objects,” Brooklyn happily confirmed, “We got most of the deals I wanted to grab too - only have one or two gifts left to find. But I can always order those from Ebbingdales or MajiZon or something off WizNet.”

“Speaking of WizNet deals, we should probably pick up our Floo tickets,” Teddy turned to James, “don’t let me forget?”

“Sure,” James grinned, “oi-Teddy - don’t forget we need to get our Floo tickets later.”

“Oi- you know that’s not what I meant,” Teddy teased back, poking James playfully in his side. 

“Maybe not,” James laughed, “but you can’t say I didn’t remember!”

“Oh James!” Brooklyn looked at him excitedly, “you’re a writer! Can I get your opinion on something? They have these really cool leather portfolios and notebooks - some are in Voclain Lavender too - do you think they would be too girly for a guy…” her voice trailed off as she led James away, James looking very excited at the prospect of Voclain lavender leather notebooks.

As Teddy moved to follow them, a silver glint caught the corner of his eye. He turned toward the case, where a necklace of multiple connecting twig branches hung in a manner that would cascade elegantly down the neck when worn. Multiple small diamonds shaped as leaves glinted in the light. Moving to inspect it, the shape of the silver branches reminded Teddy of the woodland flair of his Gran’s wand mixed with a modern simplicity. 

“Interesting piece, is it not, Teddy?” a voice came from behind the counter. Teddy looked up, surprised to see the face of Stephanie Roche, “The branches change their shape when worn, allowing the necklace to conform to the wearer.”

“Hi Stephanie,” Teddy greeted, trying to hide his surprise. Stephanie was wearing deep purple robes that reminded Teddy of the frequency of ripe grapes. The necklace she wore had a vase charm, complete with a real tiny rose and baby's-breath inside it. Her wand rested on the glass - Teddy watched as her red manicured nails reached out to pocket it, her wedding ring catching the light as she did so. “How are you? I didn’t expect to see you here. How was your Thanksgiving?”

“Oh, this shop is the family business,” she said with pride, “My Great-Granddad John Voclain started this place - my dad’s the owner now. I just help for the holiday rush. Usually lend a hand on Black Friday if I can - the store gets so overrun,” she smiled bright neon pink, “Thanksgiving was very nice, thank you for asking. We had a smaller dinner this year - around twenty people or so. Mainly my parents, Steven’s parents and his sister’s family, a couple friends, and of course Marie came home from school. How about you? Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?” she asked as she reached in the case and pulled out the necklace.

“Yes,” Teddy smiled, “it was. I mean, I did,” he replied watching her lay out the necklace on a soft lavender velvet pad.

“Excellent! Well, if you’re interested,” she gestured to the necklace, “we’re running some excellent specials, I can see what I can do for you.”

Twenty minutes and lots of small talk later, Teddy has his Gran’s Christmas gift purchased and wrapped. And he wasn’t the only one that left the store with a lavender bag - James was now the proud owner of a new Voclain Lavender leather notebook. 

“I couldn’t resist, Teddy, I was so inspired when I saw it!” he justified the purchase as the five of them walked down the street, “I might start my biography in this one - feels too special for it to be for work notes or something.”

“Thank you for your advice, James,” Brooklyn lifted up her own bags, “I wouldn’t have bought it on my own. But I think Kingston will actually like it, and I had no clue what to get him this year-”

“Does he want to be a writer?” Teddy asked, curious.

Brooklyn nodded, “I think an editor - or maybe a lawyer. He loves all that legal-ease stuff,” she scuffed her feet, “sometimes I wish I was better with all that paperwork stuff. I just can’t stand sitting still.”

James offered her a small smile, “I understand that. You’re about my age, right? I found what helped me is getting in a run in the mornings, and when I was in England I learned some yoga poses to help calm the body - though I didn’t really take to that as much, it’s kinda slow, and I know there’s not as much Yoga for wizards here so-”

“Yeah,” Brooklyn sounded resigned, “that’s part of why I wanted to be an Auror - I thought there would be more action. Instead it’s a lot of paperwork and a bit of a boys’ club - like I was alluding to last night. I just want to love it so much. It just hurts that it isn’t what I thought it would be.”

James nodded, face serious. “I completely get that,” he offered solemnly, his expression carried a blue vibration that Teddy associated with the truth, “sometimes things aren’t what you expect.”

“Speaking of expectations,” Troy elbowed Teddy, “you didn’t even want to come out with us this year, and look - you’ve got shopping done for your Gran.” Troy teased Teddy as the group headed down the street.

“True,” Teddy conceded. 

Troy turned to face James. “So, your first Black Friday - what did you think?” he asked.

James gave an odd smile. “Like I was saying, sometimes things aren’t what you expect them to be. But for my first experience I think I did alright.” Moving all of his bags into his right hand, he held up his purchases.

“I’d say so,” Jenn said, her voice happy, “we’ll make a Black Friday pro outta you yet.”

James flashed her a winning grin. “I’m usually a pro at the things I do,” he teased, moving his free hand to grab Teddy's. Teddy warmed at the contact and found himself agreeing with James’ confident statement. Leaning in, he squeezed the hand in his tight as the group headed towards The Blind Pig for some much needed lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Thanksgiving in America without a few Black Friday shenanigans? lol 
> 
> Kudos and Comments make my life - please keep them coming!
> 
> I love you all - join me on tumblr for more: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	21. Nothing Rhymes with Orange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W - this chapter contains discussion of past sexual violation approaching rape.  
> Please be warned and read accordingly.
> 
> Thank you.

**Chapter 21 - Nothing Rhymes with Orange**

Teddy watched as James slowly sank down on top of him, taking in his length down to his balls. The heat and warmth enveloped him as he cried out, trying not to cum immediately.

“You’re so tight,” Teddy moaned. James felt amazing around him, so hot and tight and perfect, as if his arse was made to fit Teddy’s cock. 

“Oh Merlin,” James moaned above him, “you feel  _ so _ good.” 

In the twilight of his room, the dim lights burnished James’ skin a soft cream and buttermilk gold. Trapped beneath him, Teddy felt as close to beautiful as he ever could whenever James looked down at him with such intense desire. Teddy loved the way James squirmed and panted as he drove his hips up and down to take him in again and again.

“You’re so big,” James panted, “feel so full. Going to make me cum so hard.”

“Yesss,” Teddy moaned, the thought of James coming for him, because of him, making him even harder somehow. Desire pooled in his groin, threatening to burst out of him all at once to mark James as owned, his. The thought drove him to wrap James’ legs around his back, flipping them over. Looking down at James, now on his back and completely lost to everything but the feel of Teddy's thrusts, he held him down and continued to rock back and forth, hoping to hit just the right angle-

“Yes,” James groaned, “Oh, right there, fuck, Teddy…” James continued to swear as Teddy’s cock breached him, entering him deeper and deeper. Teasing his fingers down James’ stomach, Teddy took James' cock in his hand to stroke it in time with his thrusts.

“Mmmm,” James’ voice sounded almost melodic, “Teddy, Teddy I-”

“That’s it,” Teddy encouraged, “cum for me.”

And that was all the encouragement James needed as he came, release coursing through him as he sprayed his hot seed on Teddy’s stomach. Teddy followed right after, the sight of golden skin painted with white and the ass now clenching him impossibly tighter proved too much as he lost himself to the intensity and came deep inside of James.

Spent, Teddy collapsed on top of James, pressing their chests together. The feel of James' cum slick between them sent tingles all over Teddy's body as they kissed passionately. James moaned into the kiss, tangled his hands in Teddy's turquoise locks, and pulled him closer, unwilling to separate until he'd milked every last drop from him. Far too soon Teddy's cock softened and slipped from his hole, allowing the evidence of Teddy's love to flow out.

“You know,” James whispered, wrapping his arms around Teddy's back before moving his hands down towards his boyfriend’s arse, “you were totally made to fuck me.” He said this like it was the most precious secret in the world, cheeks flushed and lips red from being thoroughly ravished. Teddy thought nothing could be more beautiful and told him so.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world,” James' voice sounded slightly amazed, “if I have you calling me beautiful.” His hands had moved from Teddy’s arse and, in an almost more intimate gesture, were now stroking up and down his forearm. “I know that’s not a compliment you hand out lightly, so you must really mean it,” he said under his breath, almost inaudibly as if acknowledging it would make Teddy take it away.

Teddy looked down at his boyfriend, happiness so tight in his chest that he felt like he could burst. Who knew that two days spent lazing about in his apartment with James could make him feel so wonderful? It wasn’t like they had done anything incredibly special either. Teddy hadn’t even decorated for Christmas much - he usually left that type of stuff to others, getting his fill from the Potters’ when he went to visit. But he had worked on his Christmas presents Saturday, starting with sketches of ideas for both Lily and then Harry and Ginny that he would later paint on canvas, and then had drawn up a plan for Az’s present which he’d wanted to create digitally. James, who had been jumping back and forth between working on research for the trial, “I’ve had a true breakthrough, Teddy!”, his next article, “not nearly as epic as the first two,” and the beginnings of his biography, “gotta put this new notebook to good use,” had still found time to watch Teddy draw - eyes following Teddy’s hands as he fleshed out his ideas in his runed sketchbook, leaning over every now and again to kiss Teddy soundly before returning to his work. 

They’d spent the night wrapped up in each other's arms on the couch, talking about everything and nothing in between bouts of snogging before eventually moving to bed and falling asleep together as fresh snow fell softly outside the window. 

Sunday afternoon, Al had given his brother a fire-call looking for some moral support.

“I don’t know if I can do this, James,” Al had said, running his hands through his hair. He had looked as exasperated as Teddy had ever seen him. 

“Yes, yes you can,” James had implored his brother in true Gryffindor fashion, “and you will. Have you thought up a name for your place yet?”

“Yeah,” Al had perked up at that, “I was thinking of going with ‘Seventh Alliance.’” Teddy had taken note of the proud purple that accompanied that statement.

“Hm- how did you come up with that name?” James had asked in true reporter style.

Al had wavered a little at this, “Well, there’s the seven main classes of nutrients that the body needs - but that’s kinda the practical answer. What I was really thinking was, you know how Dad always talked about stuff from the war and who I was named after?”

James had nodded eagerly, absorbing every word.

“So, I thought it was a good combination of my name, my name sakes, dad’s horcrux quest, and my mission statement.”

“Mission statement?” Teddy had looked over surprised - it sounded like something Az would say.

Al had nodded, "To align wizards with our Muggle counterparts in bringing sustainable food to the heart of our community. You know, connect people through food...”

Teddy had allowed himself a moment to marvel that a mission statement like that could exist without issue in wizarding London. Creativity ignited, he’d begun to imagine some ideas for Al’s Christmas present. He had been lost in his ideas when he’d realized Al was still speaking.

“...I hate these things but Scorpius said it would be good for me to have a working statement that I could help sell my restaurant to future investors. Especially if we want to franchise. It took everything I had to come up with one, but I finally settled on something simple that reflected my own goals. I thought working for myself would be different, get me out of these things, but hey - here we are. I am a pretentious Slytherin arse-hole with a mission statement,” He’d said this last bit jokingly. 

James had laughed, “I’ve been calling you that for years, you’ve just figured that out now?”

Al had smiled, “Guess I just needed a place of my own to realize it.”

The brothers had shared a smile.

“Say Al,” Teddy had asked, causing both men to look at him, “Do you have a logo or signage drawn up yet?”

Al had shaken his head, “The contractors drew up something basic, but I wasn’t going to go with any of their ideas just yet.”

Teddy had smiled, “Would you be opposed to my taking a stab at creating a little something?”

Al had looked relieved, like a weight had been taken off his shoulders just by the mere suggestion. His whole demeanor had brightened through the fire, giving off a silvery glow, “No, that would be great,” he’d confirmed.

“Oi- Al! That reminds me, I have a new recipe for you…”

James' voice had trailed off as he and Al had continued to talk, their voices fading to the background as Teddy had started brainstorming. In dreaming up ideas for Al, a vision of what he wanted to make for James had started to form as well. While the brothers had been distracted with one another, he'd sketched out some super simple ideas, quickly slamming his runed sketchbook shut when James and Al disconnected the Floo. To distract James from what he had been working on, Teddy suggested that they get a late lunch, which had ended up with the two of them out in the cold, freezing their arses off. When they got back home, James had suggested he knew a way to warm them both back up.

And warm up they did. Teddy sighed in contentment, lovingly stroking James’ cheek. “I love everything about you,” he locked eyes with James, “and I think of the two of us, I’m the lucky one.” 

The golden smile on James’ face lit up the room. 

“C’mon,” Teddy pushed himself up, “shower?”

James allowed himself to be pulled out of bed as the two of them got cleaned up the Muggle way - their shared shower quickly devolving into James charming bubbles full of water and aiming them at Teddy, laughing when they burst like water balloons. Unable to retaliate in kind, Teddy pushed him against the shower wall and snogged him thoroughly, enjoying how the suds made their skin slide against each other. They could not stop smiling. Teddy almost didn’t know what to do with all the joy he was feeling - he hadn’t known that he even had the capacity to feel so much and so deeply for someone. 

Later that night, after they were both fed and sleepy, Teddy and James cuddled together under the covers, warm and comfortable, while Teddy listened to James’ even breathing, feeling content as he started to drift off.

“Teddy, you awake?” James' voice cut through the blackness, sounding slightly timid.

“Mmmm, I am now,” Teddy rolled over slightly, “you just make such a good pillow.” Just to prove the point he buried his nose in James’ hair.

“Hey,” James gave a slightly uncertain laugh but leaned into the touch anyway.

“Hey,” Teddy repeated, pulling away and looking into James’ eyes, “what’s wrong?”

“How do you know something’s wrong?”

“Because I know you,” the truth rang out crystal clear in the room.

“If I tell you something - will you promise not to get mad?”

Teddy sat right up at that, suddenly alert. “You can tell me anything, James. I thought you knew that by now.”

“Yeah I know,” James looked down. Even in the darkness, Teddy was alarmed at the amount of shame he saw as he did so, dark putrid yellows so dark they almost looked olive, started pouring off of James in short waves. Instantly, Teddy knew what was coming was going to be equal parts important and upsetting. He steeled himself as James added, “but this is something I’ve never told anyone before. And I am starting to think I should.” Teddy watched as James picked at the blanket with his fingers nervously. Teddy’s concern skyrocketed.

“Jamie,” Teddy’s voice was soft as he cupped James’ cheek, “whatever it is, it’s okay.” He didn’t want to let on how much James was scaring him for fear that he would close up. Teddy had been noticing he had a tendency to do that when it came to difficult topics. Teddy had always thought of James as fearless, but he was learning that James was just better at burying it inside himself - his extroverted nature allowing him to squash any negative emotions while in public. But in the privacy of Teddy’s flat he was unable to hide it, either that or Teddy was becoming better at reading him. Maybe it was some combination of the two, Teddy thought, as he watched a single tear escape James’ eye and roll down his cheek. He moved his thumb to catch it.

“I love you,” he said, feeling his heartbreak in his chest at the sight of James so distraught. At a loss for any other words for the moment, he kissed his lips gently - soft, sweet and loving.

“Do you want to tell me?” Teddy whispered. When there was no response an idea came to him, “would it help if you put it into a story?” 

James wiped his eyes with his sleeve and nodded, so Teddy lovingly prompted “Once upon a time, Prince James...” and waited. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Wanted to be a world-famous Quidditch player,” came a small voice, “he wanted to play for the best kingdom in all the land, Puddlemere United.” James took a deep breath and looked at Teddy almost as if looking for permission, a notion which baffled Teddy and caused him to look back encouragingly. James seemed to let out the breath he was holding in one long stream before he continued.

“Under the direction of King Philbert Deverill, the Puddlemere team was adorned with honors, crowned with victories, and adored by their subjects. But there was one small problem - by the time the prince was able to play, that kingdom already had all the players they needed,” James swallowed and Teddy pulled him in close to hold him tight, listening with every part of his body.

“So Prince James decided he would search the land to find another kingdom that would allow him to play. He loved the game after all, and he could always wait until a spot became open in the Puddlemere Kingdom. So he went to the Kingdom of Dragons, where he trained everyday and worked really hard, and tried his best in every single position on the field to prove that he was worthy to play for the best kingdom in the land. He learned how to speak, how to act, how to play pretend and be someone he wasn’t. And he did it really well. So well, in fact, that the day finally came when the Puddlemere King sent for him - the King wanted to decree the Prince as the newest member of his kingdom.”

James was shaking slightly in Teddy’s arms but continued to press on. “But I didn’t know. The Prince, I mean. The Prince didn’t know the price of playing for the greatest team in all the land. So he went to meet with King Deverill, in his office tower. He’d been invited to review the decree, and he went alone.”

Teddy let out a breath, not liking where this story was going one bit. He squeezed James tighter still, “And?” he asked gently.

“And,” James’ tried to shrug but failed miserably, “and King Deverill tried to make Prince James pay a steep price.” He looked up at Teddy and they locked eyes, “I don’t think I want to tell the rest of this story in story form.”

Teddy nodded, feeling his chest tighten. James looked at him as a dark, putrid yellow continued to roll off him in waves, an upset, sad tone that Teddy was not used to seeing from the other man. If he didn’t already know, the tone alone would have alerted him to what was to come.

“Philbert Deverill tried to rape me.” It was a rushed statement as Teddy heard the words and quickly processed them as James didn’t really let any silence linger before continuing, “I know that’s what he was ultimately going to do. Especially after all this, er-, informational research I’ve been doing for my articles about the No-Maj woman with Quahog. And I’m not the only one. See, as he made advances he told me that it was expected and required of the members of his team, male and females alike - that they sleep with him and keep it quiet. That it’s all part of the way he ‘handles business’,” James practically spit in disgust. “He didn’t care a wit about what I wanted, he got me alone and expected me to cave. He knew if I breathed one word it would ruin me and my Quidditch career. But what he didn’t know, when he grabbed my crotch through my trousers, was that I was already in talks with Luna at The Quibbler. And when he couldn’t pull my pants down and went for his own belt instead, he didn’t know that I was already thinking of quitting.” 

James’ voice, which had been gaining confidence as he spoke, suddenly dropped back into slightly more uncertain territory, “I pushed him off - threatened to hex him. He threatened to ruin me, so I grabbed the contract offer and tore it up and then incinerated it to ash.” James laughed dryly, “he didn’t like that. Threatened to Obliviate me. I dared him to try unless he wanted me to Obliviate him right back. He sorta lost his footing at that. Don’t think he expected me to challenge him.” 

Teddy squeezed James tight, wishing desperately there was more he could do. He was angry enough at Deverill to hex him into next year if he thought it would help. He had no idea James was keeping this all inside. It was suddenly very clear why James had chosen to come to New York in the first place. “I think you did the right thing,” Teddy gently encouraged, shoving down his anger and kissing James’ forehead.

James gave him a ghost of a smile, “Maybe in the moment,” he conceded, “but I’ve been here debating if I should tell you. If I should tell anyone. Because unlike most of the No-Maj women, I remember the violation. And unlike Brooklyn, I have the platform to create real change. The things she said over Thanksgiving and Black Friday have really been sticking with me.”

Teddy gazed down at his boyfriend who, even in his moment of indecision, was showing more bravery than Teddy felt he ever could. It was moments like this that reminded him why he wasn’t sorted into Gryffindor and why James was - the courage it took to confess this. Even though all of the shame James felt over the whole ordeal was palpable, he had been able to share it and Teddy felt very proud. His respect for James grew a few notches at how strong James was to experience that and then continue living his life as he had. 

“James?” Teddy looked down at his face, “Jamie? Listen to me. None of this was your fault.”

“I know it wasn’t.”

“I’m proud of you for telling me. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

James nodded, “Thanks, Teddy. I just love you so much. But I don’t want to make you think I’m made of glass or something. I can handle it.”

“I know you can, love. You are extremely brave,” Teddy said honestly as he pulled James even closer, “there's nothing you could say or do that would make me think that that prick of a wizard daring to violate you would break  _ you _ . He shouldn't violate anyone, but you should not give that arsehole the time of day for any reason. He doesn't deserve it.” He tried to shove down his rising anger, but he couldn’t help how he wanted to tear Philbert Deverill limb from limb in James’ name. Acting on impulse Teddy leaned in and kissed down James’ neck. 

“You,” he planted a kiss, “are,” another kiss, “amazing.”

James laughed softly, far less upset than he had been. His yellow glow was slowly returning and his eyes looked lighter. “Yeah, I know that. And I do feel better for telling you,” he confessed, “but the question remains - what should I  _ do _ ?”

Teddy rested his head in the crook of James’ neck. “Rome wasn’t built in a day and you don’t have to decide right now,” he promised. “You told me after months of not telling anyone,” he could feel James nod his head, “that right there is progress.”

James let out a content, yet long, sigh. There was silence for a minute as Teddy held James, simply listening to his breathing. He thought James had finally drifted off to sleep when a “love you, Teddy” quietly filled the room.

Teddy wasn’t sure what to do about the situation, but he knew one thing for certain - he wouldn’t leave James’ side. Teddy tightened his hold, clinging almost desperately, as anger gave rise to a protective instinct so strong it cemented the fact that he would always be James’ white knight - nothing, from wild hippogriffs to dementors, would tear him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are always loved and appreciated <3  
> Find me on Tumblr: http://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	22. Silver Bullet

**Chapter 22 - Silver Bullet** ****

Monday morning Teddy arrived at his studio to find Az standing outside wearing the latest in winter cloaks out of Europe - long, red, and resembling a peacoat with double-breasted, red buttons all the way down to her waist. Beside her sat an odd Sphinx-looking creature that reminded Teddy immediately of the WizNet logo. Small and vaguely translucent, if Teddy didn’t know any better, he would say it was someone’s Patronus except for the distinctly different orange glow around its edges - a far cry from a Patronus’ soft blue glow. 

Ignoring it for the moment, Teddy chose to turn his attention towards Az, greeting her as he opened his front door. They both moved inside to get out of the blustery cold, his sweatshirt not quite warm enough for the early December freeze. Vaguely, Teddy recognized that it was taking all his concentration to be present and in the moment, his mind was still reeling from James’ revelation last night. It didn’t help that when James had left that morning it was like everything was back to normal. Teddy wasn’t entirely sure how to treat that. He was contemplating all this as the Sphinx followed them both inside and out of the cold. Unfurling itself, the creature leapt up to sit on Teddy’s desk. Its tail curled around its legs handsomely as it settled there and licked one of its paws lazily.

“Verification?” the Sphinx requested in an odd voice that sounded almost robotic.

Az and Teddy looked at one another. Az shook her head.

“Don’t ask me,” she said, “it’s been asking me for a password verification every five minutes for the last twenty.”

“You’ve been waiting in the cold for twenty minutes?” Teddy asked her.

“More like twenty-five. Thank Merlin for warming charms, huh?”

“Twenty-five!” Teddy mouthed toward the patronus-impersonator-Sphinx. It did not react. Teddy sighed. “So you want a password, huh?” he asked, peering at it curiously, “must not be something too elaborate. Let’s try this - ‘WizNet Sphinx’?”

Nothing happened.

“‘ELupinStudios’?”

The Sphinx shook his head, as if to clear the words.

“Edward Lupin? Isn’t your name Teddy Lupin?” Az called suddenly which caused the Sphinx to yawn, offering a large envelope from its mouth. Teddy reached out to take it. It was surprisingly dry with no slobber.

“Guess the password was my name,” he said out loud, lifting open the back flap of the envelope and pulling out a large stack of formal looking parchment.

“I guess,” Azumi agreed, looking over his shoulder, “Though that wasn’t why I said it. What did you get?”

Teddy looked down at the stack of papers in his hand. A cover letter, printed on the same stationary as the one sent previously, rested on top:

“Encrypti-Sphinx?” Teddy asked, looking up from the paperwork but the Sphinx was nowhere to be seen. “Have you ever seen anything like that before?” he asked Az.

She shook her head. "Nope, can't say I have," she said. She handed him a formal looking envelope with his full name on the front. "I saw the name and figured it was for one of your relatives or something. Never took you for an Edward."

Curious, Teddy took it from her. He was rarely addressed as Edward. Ruby was really the only one who ever called him that, no matter how many times he corrected her. “Where did you find this?” he asked, taking the heavy, white envelope from Az. Fighting to keep the white noise in his head down, he turned it over and cracked open the blue, wax seal.

“Under the front door,” Az shrugged, “you walked right by it.”

“Well, to be fair, I did have a weird, glowing, orange _Sphinx_ distracting me,” Teddy muttered, not wanting to admit the real reason for his distraction. He shook his head a little, the morning was certainly turning into a whirlwind. Reaching into the envelope, he exhumed layers of thick card stock that had been cut to resemble a forest, overlapping white tree trunks and branches giving the illusion of 3D space. A translucent blue fox darted in and around the trees playfully, leaving traces of white glitter in its wake that resembled snow. The paper looked like it had been hand cut, and the animation spell used on the fox had a distinct artist’s signature to it.

“Oh! That’s cool! What is it for?” Az asked eagerly, trying to peek over Teddy’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure,” Teddy said as he held it out so she could see. They both watched snowflakes start to fall, blowing about in an enchanted wind, as the fox led them deeper and deeper into the paper forest, eventually leading to a clearing. Dark teal green calligraphy formed on the page:

The letters parted and the fox darted deeper into the woods, before the trees cleared again to reveal the date and time of the grand opening gala which was to be held the week before Christmas. 

If the showing was to be anything like the incredibly intricate and impressive invitation, and knowing Ruby it would probably be loads better, Teddy found he was really looking forward to going. Putting down the card Teddy realized he would have to ask Troy if he and Jennifer planned to go - there was no way he wouldn’t have been invited as well. Maybe the four of them could make a Christmas double date night out of it, since he and James wouldn’t be around on the 25th. He hoped James would want to go with him - it would be nice to introduce him to Ruby. He was fairly certain that the two would get along well enough. 

“I didn’t know PenSave worked with artists,” Az’s awed voice cut through Teddy’s thoughts, “that sounds like a seriously cool event. Think you’ll get to walk through memories? As 3D environments?! How cool would that be?”

Teddy smiled, “Knowing the artist, I think it will be pretty amazing.”

“You know Ruby Fontaine? I so admire her work! She really pushes boundaries on spatial design and fashion in portraits. She once gave this lecture on how narrative informs retail spaces, fashion designers, and portraitures - of all things to combine - but it was really fascinating and it totally worked! She believes that environments give rise to story because of how they are designed. In No-Maj-land the canvas would offer a limited scope for the viewer or, in the case of environments, the architecture itself can be designed to limit what you’re looking at. Like, for instance, if you’re standing under an archway that prevents you from looking beyond what is right in front of you - I guess the Romans used that trick a lot. They would make people walk under an archway in order to make their buildings look larger and more grand when you finally got up to them. Told a more impressive story that way. Which all circles back to the parameters of the story you’re trying to tell,” she used her hands to help illustrate all of this, regurgitating the details of the lecture from memory.

“But since the subjects in our portraits can _move_ and cross into other environments, Ruby was saying that you have to infuse the pigments with a wizard’s signature so the artist can imbue the garments they’re wearing with the same motion and strength that the wizard themselves has, so their likeness can carry their own story with them no matter what environment they end up in. And that includes witches too - portraits aren’t just for wizards,” her voice pitched high as she shook her head, “Anyway, I was just starting my MajGram at the time and was totally eager for anything out there that would help elevate it artistically - plus I just love fashion in general-”

Teddy smiled as Az excitedly prattled on. He remembered many of those lectures personally - Ruby had always needed a reason behind every creative decision. A direction and intent which she usually wanted her apprentices to tie back to a purpose - even if that purpose was “well, the wizard requested this specifically.” No reason was dismissed as unimportant, simply rolled up into the larger picture, so to speak. Teddy had soaked up everything like a sponge, especially during his first year under her tutelage, completely aware he was being trained by someone who had consumed loads of art history and seamlessly infused it with her firsthand accounts on how to create something better. How to impart theme, order and design to give it a purpose. To make it outlast the artist and impact the future.

Teddy looked up and realized Az was looking at him expectantly. Unsure of what she asked specifically, he ventured, “I was Ruby’s apprentice. I trained under her for years.”

Az’s jaw dropped open and she let out an infectious laugh, “Oh, Mr. Lupin! You just continue to surprise me. I mean that in a good way,” she quickly amended. 

Teddy fought his urge to blush. “Please call me Teddy,” he offered, figuring it was a good way to move the heat off him for a moment. Plus her calling him Mr. Lupin made him feel extremely old - he really would have to break her of the habit.

“Alright, Teddy,” she said as he set down the invitation and moved to sit behind his desk. “So I had some thoughts over Thanksgiving as I was posting up the content we arranged for your page - did you have a good Thanksgiving?” she asked, almost as an afterthought. Teddy nodded.

“Good,” Az smiled, “mine was pretty uneventful to be honest - so I had some time to contemplate my MajGram trajectory for the new year - which, by proxy, means I thought about your page too. I still want to get a thank you message back to RedDragonLeather as a cross-promotion opportunity so we’ll have to get some images for that. I also have some thoughts on doing something special for Christmas. Your Thanksgiving posts I put up did well - just borrowed some quotes and shared your new piece, nothing terribly special, but you gained roughly thirty more followers so I’m fairly happy with that progress if you are. Connection with your audience is-”

“Say Az, is connection a new buzzword or something?” Teddy interrupted her with a question that he didn’t even know he’d been forming but was now suddenly important enough to ask.

Az looked thoughtful a moment, “I don’t know about new,” she started slowly, “but I do think it’s up there with synergy and communication, or innovation and ideation - it’s like executives pull these words from the marketing-cloud, reframe them and translate it into ‘business-ease’ to make themselves sound smarter than they really are, then feed it back to us in a continuous pattern of pretentiousness that never seems to dissipate, thinking that it makes the ‘impact’ and ‘disruption’ they so desire…” Az became more passionate as she spoke, words flowing as she found her rhythm. Teddy would have to remember not to get her too hyped up on business jargon or he might not be able to follow. Admittedly he was out of his element with it all. Least now, Teddy realized, he might have found a translator.

“How do you justify participating in all this, even in your subversive and disruptive manner, when you feel so vehemently against those in the established sphere?” he asked her seriously, using up all his business speak for the day in one go.

Az shrugged, “I guess working for myself with my own goals makes it different.”

Teddy laughed at just how familiar that sounded. Reminded of his own current business goals, he looked down at the stack of WizNet contracts before glancing at the clock - he had a portrait sitting set to begin soon but perhaps he could strike a deal with Az to get these sent off and reviewed. Pulling out Steven’s card, he slipped it on top of the file.

“Say Az,” she looked up at him curiously, “how would you feel if I offered you a deal?”

She pulled her red coat around her and stood up a little straighter, “That depends on what you’re offering,” she replied.

“I have a client coming in soon for a portrait sitting. I know you wanted to get in progress portrait shots - and you still can - but I need to send these WizNet papers off to Steven Roche as soon as possible. He’s a lawyer and I want him to look them over before I sign. If I give you carte blanche to post one image on my MajGram, how would you feel about running up to OwlTrac and mailing this out for me?”

She eye’d him slightly skeptically, “Carte blanche? Any post I want? Anytime I want?”

Teddy nodded.

Az stood up and held out her hand, “We have an accord, Mr. Lupin.” They shook on it as he handed her the papers. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” 

“You too - and it’s Teddy!” he called with a laugh as she walked out the door.

* * *

James Apparated directly into the kitchenette of Teddy’s studio at precisely 5pm. “I have made a breakthrough!” he declared loudly, spinning Teddy around excitedly and snogging him happily. “I can help close this case!”

Teddy found himself swept up in James’ excitement. “Really?” he asked, positive his eyes were widening even as he tried to stop them mid-morph.

“Yes,” James sounded a little breathless as he looked fit to burst with the news. “And honestly I have you and the Jonkers to thank - the answer was right there the entire time!”

Teddy gave James an odd look, “What’s Troy-?” he began but paused a moment to just look into James' eyes. He knew the look he saw there - the whole story was coming and he knew one surefire way to get it out of James, “Coffee and the story?” he asked. 

“Absolutely!” James’ happiness was infectious as he snogged Teddy again passionately, golden yellow radiating from him in bright happy bursts, “you know me so well!”

Teddy laughed, “Well what are we waiting for? We brewing it here or going out?”

“No offense, Teddy, but your kitchen here isn’t exactly built for good coffee. Besides, there's this little cafe that I’ve found down the way from WizWork that makes an amazing mocha - and they have chocolate croissants too,” he dangled the promise of the sweet pastry like a carrot, “I’ve been wanting to go with you.”

Teddy grinned, warmed by the fact that James definitely knew just how to entice him. “Well, what are we still doing here then?”

Invigorated, Teddy stuffed his sketchbook into his bag before casting _Colloportus_ to lock up for the night. James sidealonged Teddy from inside his studio to the nearest Apparition point to his WizWork office. The cold air was jarring as they materialized, hitting Teddy in the face immediately - the wind whipped through his hair, reminding Teddy of the cold morning and his concerns about James he had had while letting Az into his studio. Suddenly feeling protective as they walked together to the cafe, Teddy wrapped his hand low around James’ hips, pulling him close. James leaned into the embrace, soaking up Teddy’s warmth.

Boneshakers North, as the golden sign proclaimed, was tucked away on a quiet street and revealed to them only as they walked by - No-Maj pedestrians continued past as if there was nothing there. Unassuming in its appearance, the storefront was painted red while large intricately carved wooden doors guarded the entrance separating the warm atmosphere inside from the blustery streets. 

Inside Teddy found the space comfortable and cozy with an eclectic arrangement of chairs and tables scattered around the space. He heard soft house music playing in the background which helped to create the inviting atmosphere. Despite the cold outside, there were several customers inside, some working on laptops and others hanging out in small groups. Popular board games lined a back bookshelf. Teddy caught sight of Exploding Snap, Cards Against No-Maj, Wizard Chess and Wizard’s Pictionary, a game Troy had introduced him to years ago and Teddy loved because he always won, sitting alongside games like Catan and Monopoly, which surprised him. If Teddy didn’t know this was a wizarding cafe, he would be second-guessing himself. 

James made his way to the counter to order, indicating that Teddy should find a seat. Immediately he was drawn to the back corner, it was empty and the light was somehow dimmer than the rest of the space. Plus he liked the art pieces on the wall behind him: minimalistic paintings of a dog, dragon and a deer, respectively, done in warm reds and oranges that suited the space and buzzed with a soft vibration that at first sent a slight shiver down Teddy’s spine, but then left him with a pleasant feeling all over - like being around a good friend. He had just taken a seat when James bounded over to him, drinks and pastry bag in hand. Humming excitedly, he placed down Teddy’s mocha in front of him with a flourish and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks, James,” Teddy smiled, taking a sip as James pulled out the pastries, handing one to Teddy, “whatever would I do without you?” He took a bite of the sweet treat. 

“Hmm, not have a mocha and chocolate croissant - I know that much,” James teased, throwing himself happily into the seat across from Teddy. He took a sip of his coffee and made a face, “Ugh! Too hot!”

Teddy laughed and nodded in agreement, “Yeah, you are.” 

James blushed, “Well, now that you have me all distracted, maybe we should have just skipped the coffee and-”

Teddy reached out and covered James’ hands before he could take that thought too far. “Naw-uh, later,” he rejected the idea for now, “I was promised coffee and a story.”

“Hm, I don’t remember making any promises,” James teased, sitting up a little straighter at the look on Teddy’s face, “but I suppose I did make a phenomenal research breakthrough. Really, they should give out prizes for discoveries like these...”

Teddy laughed at the look on James’ face, “At this rate you’ll have to make it and award it to yourself as we have been sitting here and I still don’t have the story. Kinda difficult that.”

“OKAY, okay,” James cleared his throat, “Remember when I told you my theory about Shannon a while back?” 

“The one about her being a Squib?” Teddy asked, feeling slightly confused.

“Yeah,” James confirmed before taking another sip of his coffee, “that one.”

“What of it?”

“Well, turns out I wasn’t so far off the mark.”

“No?”

“Nope. Did you know,” here James paused dramatically, “That Shannon is the name of one city in Canada - that I know of anyway, there might be more - another one in Ireland, and at least ten cities here in the States?” 

Teddy shook his head.

“Well believe it,” James said excitedly, “because it’s also the name of the longest river in Ireland, an entire Island in Greenland and a waterfall in British Columbia. I looked it all up,” James took another sip of his coffee, looking very proud of himself. Teddy nodded, thoughts starting to form around where James might be taking this.

“I already had some suspicions about Shannon, but then after Troy confirmed for me on Thanksgiving that everyone in his family was named for locations and places,” James continued excitedly, “It was the key I think I needed. Once Florence told me more about Troy’s Great Aunt Savannah, things started falling into place.”

“Wait-wait. I’m not entirely sure I’m following,” Teddy asked, “what things?”

“Like, the reason Quahog’s memory charms didn’t work on Shannon, for instance. It’s because Savannah Jonker was her Grandmother,” James paused for a moment to let that sink in, taking a bite of Teddy’s chocolate croissant, which had been sitting abandoned in favor of listening to James. Mouth full, James nearly started up again before remembering to swallow. Teddy’s mind reeled as he waited for James to get the rest of the story out. 

“I went and obtained copies of her records from the school they sent Savannah Jonker to. If you can call it that - a ‘school,’” James laughed dryly, his eyes serious. “They did all these awful experiments on her, messed with her blood trying to get her magic to present itself. All kinds of potions, various injections, years of painful experimental charms,” James shook his head, disgusted, as he counted the transgressions off on his fingers, “all in the hopes of trying to get her to do a simple ‘Lumos’.” 

Teddy shuddered, the thought of someone messing with his blood, injecting him with something to _change_ him - like if someone learned his magic couldn’t really charm water, or if they wanted to erase or study his synaesthesia or force his cells to morph against his will. Teddy felt like he might be sick. He couldn’t imagine what they must have done to Savannah, how awful she must have felt. To feel so alienated from her family, treated so poorly and removed from society- 

“It’s just all very graphic and heinous,” James continued, more reluctantly this time, “Forget crimes against wizard-kind - more like crimes against humanity. Honestly she must have felt so violated and inhuman. It’s no wonder she ended up running off with the groundsman. Which, she did do. Though I couldn’t find any hard evidence that he was actually a werewolf, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was. I was able to obtain copies of his work records and there were a lot of times he didn’t show up to work around full moons.”

Teddy felt like he actually might be a bit sick now. He tugged on his shirt sleeve, which didn’t calm him any, so he moved his hand over his mouth and remembered to breathe. James reached out and grabbed Teddy’s elbow across the table as he plowed on, as if he couldn’t stop the words now that he was on a roll. 

“Together Savannah and the groundsman applied for a No-Maj marriage licence. I know this because I found a copy of it along with a birth certificate for Jordan Dallas Ridgewilde - Savannah’s only child. Or at least the only one I could find a record of. I guess she wanted to stick with the place names. Which certainly helped make my job easier.”

Teddy pulled back his hand from his mouth, still trying to keep his jaw from hitting the floor, and asked, enraptured, "So then what?"

James let out a small laugh. “Well from there on the hardest part was over, I suppose, since Shannon has told us a lot in her interviews. I already had all of her transcripts and have spent hours going over them, tearing them apart for information. I don’t think there’s a thing she’s said on the record that I don’t know about.” He looked up at Teddy seriously and took a sip of his coffee. Teddy matched him with his own mocha before he nodded, urging James to continue.

“She’s named her father as Jordan Ridgewilde, a No-Maj. Or she considers him one anyway. I’d call him a Squib myself but I digress. He married a No-Maj woman and they had three children. Shannon is the middle child at twenty-six years old. She has two sisters: Amelia, who’s thirty, and Chelsea - seventeen. And Shannon is not the only one with unique blood circumstances because, apparently, her sister Amelia is really sick with some disease no doctor has been able to identify. I'd bet fifty Galleons on her medical records that whatever she has is related to the blood experiments on her grandma, but I can't seem to track down any record that she has been seen by No-Maj healers at all. It's all really confusing.”

Teddy felt something curl in the pit of his stomach, alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind, “Amelia,” muttered before looking up sharply, “James! Did you say Amelia?” His hair threatened to morph from shock. He actively worked to keep it turquoise.

James nodded. “Yeah, had to look that one up too. Amelia is apparently an Island in Florida. I guess they were serious about sticking to the location names. Chelsea - There's a Chelsea, New York, but, I mean, we both know Chelsea-” 

“Are you certain - certain - that Jordan married a No-Maj?” Teddy gasped out, realizing he was interrupting but too excited to care. 

“No,” James shook his head, “I couldn't find their marriage certificate. Why?” the last word came out sounding skeptical, and Teddy recognized James’ reporter antics surfacing.

“Well,” Teddy began slowly, “I recently did a portrait...” he thought back, working to collect his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Amelia. She told me her last name was Wildewood,” he exclaimed as he slapped his palm on his forehead. “Of course she would use a fake last name! I think,” Teddy looked up at James, mind reeling excitedly, “I think, I mean, I know. I mean, I am pretty bloody sure I did her portrait around the time you arrived in New York! James - I think Shannon’s mum is a witch.”

“What makes you think that?” James leaned forward, eyes wide, eager to hear more. 

“Amelia has this disease,” Teddy backed up, “she told me it syphons off her magic little by little, and once her stores are completely depleted the disease would eventually take her organs. She wanted to have a portrait done while she still had her magic. _Her Magic, James_.”

James gasped a little.

“She told me that Mediwitches don’t think she will live past forty,” Teddy said, voice teaming with some measure of amazement, “Now I wonder if she really meant doctors. She didn’t give me his name but she said her dad was a No-Maj, and due to Rappaport’s Law her mum had had to tell everyone she was a single parent who’d gotten pregnant by her wizarding childhood friend who had ‘conveniently discovered’ afterwards that he was gay. Then the family went into hiding under Fidelius Charm. And now you’re telling me that her real name is Amelia Ridgewilde and one of her sisters is caught up in this mess with the President and, just, wow. I can’t even believe this,” Teddy was certain his voice wavered with surprise.

“Teddy, are you sure?” James asked. Teddy nodded. He felt very certain about this. He tried to think back to see if Amelia mentioned having a sister, or either of her parent’s names, but he couldn’t recall. But all the other details lined up too perfectly to dismiss them. He nodded again with more confidence. 

“Yes.”

“Oi- Teddy! You’re brilliant!” James’ eyes lit up and Teddy felt something tighten in his chest at the excited compliment. “I mean, I can’t hardly believe it - serendipity! Kismet? Whatever it’s called. Now I’ll have even more evidence for the trial. Maybe. Depends. Do you think I could arrange to talk to her?”

“Who? Amelia?”

James nodded.

“I honestly don’t know,” Teddy said, “we can try. If I can contact her and if she is even willing. She does have to come back for her animation session,” he paused, thinking for a second, “Remind me again? When is the trail?” he asked James.

“Proceedings begin Thursday - my witness testimony is Friday.”

Teddy could feel his eyes widen. “Why did I think it started next week?”

“I don’t know,” James said as he shook his head. “The Quibbler also has me running exclusive reports from inside the trial and we’re doing some live interactive segments on social media where people can ask questions and stuff. Maybe you were thinking of that?”

Teddy swallowed. He could feel his adrenaline spiking, but he wasn’t sure if it was coffee or the elation of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. Looking over at James, he was blinded by the pure excitement radiating off of him. Teddy just hoped their evidence was enough to remove President Quahog and restore connection between No-Maj and Wizard-kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are all coming together! I hope you guys like when the letters are in visual format - I think it makes things more fun :D 
> 
> Hang out on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Kudos/Comments always loved and appreciated <3


	23. Significant Crimson

**Chapter 23 - Significant Crimson**

Throughout the rest of the week James threw himself headfirst into trial preparations as if his life depended on it. And maybe it did, Teddy mused. It certainly would mean something to Shannon and the other No-Maj women, and the rest of wizard-kind, if Rappaport's Law was lifted as a result of all this. Teddy, in an attempt to help, checked to see if Amelia had booked her final animation session. His schedule didn’t have her listed yet which gave him a good excuse to send her a reminder OwlMail, to which he tacked on his personal information and a request for her to contact him directly. In between clients and waiting for a reply, Teddy started sketching out some ideas for his WizNet anniversary piece - he had a few design ideas he was toying with.

It wasn’t until the first day of the trial that Teddy heard back from Steven, which didn’t give him much time to read over the WizNet contract himself. Luckily it looked as though Mr. Roche had been thorough in his review. ‘I’ve looked over every inch of these personally, Mr. Lupin, and I cannot see anything alarming or concerning. It’s all very straightforward overall. I would advise taking a look at the notes on pages 20 and 27, but other than that all that is required is your signature.” The response was enclosed with a bill detailing his legal fees, showing a line for a ‘professional courtesy discount’ which removed nearly half the cost.

Teddy still felt the amount a little high, but then he had needed the review rushed. And reading through 43 pages of legalese and non-disclosure agreements himself sounded like pure torture. He was glad that that responsibility had been moved off his plate somewhat. He had the more pressing issue of James' testimony to focus on. 

Even though Teddy didn’t have an account himself, he knew the MuffliatoR-sphere and WWN had been abuzz all day as reporters published various updates from inside the Pentagram Office. He'd been thinking of James all day by the time Az stopped by the studio to show him James' afternoon report that had just hit the Quibbler's homepage. Apparently James had included part of the update via the Quibbler's PenSave page, giving the Wizarding World an insider's view of the trial. 

“See?” Az said, holding up her phone. James’ memory played out on the Quibbler’s posted stories page. Az turned her phone and used her fingers to rotate through the memory. Benches on both sides of the Pentagram Office were full of various MACUSA delegates from across the country. The President’s throne, which had the MACUSA seal on the back, was raised up a tier in the front of the room but instead of its usual occupant, Percival Graves, the director of Magical Security sat, overseeing the proceedings in progress. He wore his hair fairly long and had a grey beard that made him look very distinguished. Teddy thought he had to be 130 years old at least. He looked important in his official robes and radiated a deep vibration of a matching dark grey. Laid into the floor in the centre of the room was the Pentagram symbol. All eyes in the room were focused on the symbol and the man sat directly above it, President Quahog himself - there was no mistaking that he was on trial.

They watched the glimpses as the first day’s procedures laid out the crimes leveled against the President. Evidentiary issues, stipulations and other articles were presented, but no witnesses were called upon. The most interesting moment was when the President called Graves a filthy liar. The Magical Security wizard had shot a bewildered look back at the President as though he had lost his mind. And perhaps he had, thought Teddy, stranger things had happened. Either way, the exchange had not sat well with many of the attendees and divided the MuffliatoR-sphere into two distinct camps, as if they weren’t already divided enough. The whole mess made Teddy a little sick.

Later that night he finally got a chance to review the WizNet contract for himself. Teddy laid on the couch and read the documents, his feet buried beneath James as he prepared his final notes for his testimony the next day. Both of them were silent and James looked oddly tense, giving the room an odd buzz that sounded like a very light yellow or creme - almost white, but not quite as loud.

“Say, Teddy,” Teddy looked up as James said his name, “Did you happen to hear from Amelia?”

Teddy shook his head, “No…”

“She has the chance to share her story with the world!” James asserted dramatically. Teddy had the passing thought that perhaps it was worthy of the dramatics. “How can she pass that up?”

Teddy shrugged, trying to project a calmness he didn’t entirely feel. “Maybe because she’s sick? Or because her family has been in hiding since she was a child?  _ Or  _ because she already has one sister being dissected by the public? Which one would you like to examine first?”

James humphed, kicking the edge of the couch in frustration. 

“C’mon, Jamie,” Teddy coaxed with praise, “we can’t all be as brave as you are.”

James gave a soft smile, “I don’t think I’m all that brave - kind of a disappointment to my house that way.” His voice sounded sad.

Teddy stared, dumbfounded. “You can’t mean that!” he blurted out.

James looked down at the floor.

“James,” Teddy hooked his fingers under James’ chin and forced him to look up. “Jamie. You are very brave. You have more courage in your pinky finger,” Teddy held his free one up for emphasis, “than most people have in their entire being. You are daring, valiant and so bloody passionate - it’s part of the reason I love you. The sorting hat knew right where to place you. Don’t you dare think for one minute that it got anything wrong.”

James looked bashful but he recovered quickly, “You mean the sorting hat knew what it was doing when it placed you,” he said affectionately with a small smile.

“We- we aren’t talking about me here,” Teddy tried to redirect the conversation.

“See?” James smiled, “always putting others before yourself. ‘Exhibit-T.’”

“T?”

“You, Ted-ward!”

“I thought we weren’t talking about me.”

James sighed, “I know, but…” his voice trailed off, “I love you.”

“I love you too. My brazen, headstrong, determined, oh-so-incredibly-brave Gryffindor,” Teddy said playfully, pulling James’ face close and rubbing their noses together.

James made a face that was somewhere between love and disbelief.

“Okay, why don’t you believe those things about yourself?” Teddy asked cautiously, wholeheartedly, “because I see them in you. Those qualities.”

James looked a little fragile, as he let out a shaky breath, “Well, there was the whole hiding I’m gay thing for one.”

Teddy looked James in the eyes, “But you came clean with that when it mattered and handled it as best you could,” he countered, fixing his gaze on James. “It took tremendous courage and strength and you weren’t even prepared for it. It was all just dumped on you. And you managed it remarkably, James. I  _ know _ that you know that you did.”

James gave a wry smile, “Well, keeping it a secret so long wasn’t really brave of me, was it?”

“Is your sexuality the reason you feel like a disappointment?” Teddy asked gently, changing tactics while trying to understand. He wished he could hold up a mirror to show James what he saw in him, the positive, effervescent qualities that constantly inspired Teddy to want to be bolder.

“I guess,” James replied, “but there’s others - moments where I feel like I should have been a lot more courageous. Like, for instance, and this is a minor one, but on Black Friday when that mob was crowding in on us in front of the Quidditch Emporium. I wish I had been more prepared for that one,” he let out a small sigh before continuing, “but then there are much larger issues too. Like being more open about the real reason I left professional Quidditch - which I felt like followed me around like a dark cloud for a while. That’s part of why I took the assignment to come to New York in the first place. I didn’t plan- I mean, I never- I didn’t dare to hope in my wildest dreams this would happen. Us, you and me,” he swallowed and looked into Teddy’s eyes, “but I’m so, so happy it did! So happy. Don’t - please don’t think otherwise. But I don’t even know if I would have been brave enough to come forward with my feelings for you if you hadn’t…” James' voice trailed off. Throughout his rambling his cheeks had taken on a faint pink glow that Teddy found adorable. He leaned forward and pulled James in for a snog, holding him solid in his arms. 

“Just telling me all that takes courage, you know?” Teddy gave James a soft smile when he pulled back.

James nodded but still looked unsure and his golden vibration had not yet returned.

“Let’s look at this all another way, okay?” Teddy offered. James nodded again and held his arms tighter around Teddy’s waist. Teddy kissed the top of his head warmly, gathering his words, before he spoke - he wanted to make sure he had his thoughts in order for the point he wanted to convey. He took the extra moment to enjoy the feel of James in his arms. Even this upset he wouldn’t trade the feeling for anything else in the world. “Self preservation may be a Slytherin trait but that doesn’t make it inherently cowardly. Is your brother cowardly? You’re writing a biography about his namesakes. Was Severus not a Slytherin? Doesn’t your dad describe him as the bravest man he’s ever known? Was  _ he _ not courageous?”

James nodded yet again and buried his head in Teddy’s chest. Teddy ran his hand through his boyfriend’s hair. 

“Bravery comes in many forms,” Teddy said, finding he had to gather up his own courage to continue. “Bravery means suppressing fear and overcoming it to do the right thing because the goal outweighs the risk. And self preservation can be a goal - especially when you feel like the whole world is watching your every move.”

James' eyes watered for a moment before he clutched his arms tighter around Teddy, clinging almost desperately. It seemed like he was trying not to cry. Teddy rubbed small circles on his back, hoping the comforting shape and warm hand would help calm his boyfriend. Since he knew words also had a great effect on James, he forced himself to keep speaking, “James. What you did, what you're doing - both take a lot of courage. You have been doing literally everything in your power to help dismantle Rappaport’s and set things right. Don’t think I haven’t watched how you’ve been handling everything. I think, if it were me, I would be falling apart. But you...” Teddy tried to pull back and look James in the eye but James only held tighter. Resigned, Teddy held him close, continuing the circles on his back, “You inspire me. You stand up to challenges like they’re mere roadblocks and knock down brick walls all the time. And that’s part of what I love about you. Your inner strength.”

James pulled back, “You really think I’m brave.” It was said timidly but it wasn’t really a question. Still Teddy felt like he should answer it anyway.

“The bravest man I know.”

James leaned forward then and kissed Teddy soundly. The silken feel of James’ hair between his fingers, the soft sighing sound he made when they kissed, and the eagerness he had when he pressed his mouth on Teddy’s all seemed to make the complications of the day evaporate like magic. It wasn’t demanding or pressing or even overly sexual - it was comforting, adoring, and sincere. Teddy let himself melt into the touch.

“Teddy,” James said when he finally pulled away, “will you come with me tomorrow?”

“To the trial?”

James nodded.

Teddy held him tight and planted a kiss on his head. “Wouldn't miss it for the world.”

* * *

Friday dawned early. Teddy had hardly slept anyway, instead spending the majority of the night watching over the incredible man curled up at his side who had offered him his trust and his love. Teddy was in awe of it and found that all he wanted to do was hold James close and tell him everything would be okay. 

James, after warmly cuddling in Teddy’s arms all night, was oddly quiet as they got their morning coffee. As Teddy shoved his WizNet contract into his bag alongside his sketchbook, James double checked his notes with an air of confidence, but a dull yellow was radiating off him, giving away his nervousness anyway. Teddy didn’t ask, instead he simply wrapped his arms around him and kissed him soundly. Their lips met softly, conveying reassurance and love. No words needed to be said as they offered each other soft smiles, James reaching cheekily behind to grab Teddy’s arse, pulling them closer together, and causing Teddy to yelp in surprise. James let out a warm affectionate laugh that made Teddy smile.

Together they sidealonged to the designated coordinates outside the Woolworth building. Teddy squeezed James extra tightly before letting go. He felt overcome with admiration and love - he hoped that this last hug conveyed the message as he was slightly wary about showing too much public affection so close to the MACUSA. 

As they entered the grand lobby, the sun streamed down through the windows. It was an oddly warm December day. Teddy hoped that maybe that was a sign things would turn out okay. 

They followed a group of wizards and witches inside. Teddy spotted a group of Aurors around Brooklyn. He nodded her way. She smiled and gave a small wave back to them before turning back to continue speaking with a wizard who looked roughly ten years her senior. His eyes were a unique shade of amber - they almost looked like they were on fire themselves. His features gave off an odd fiery crimson. Standing a little taller than Teddy at his preferred height, he had dark brown hair and a goatee. The sleeves of his robe rolled up to reveal a phoenix tattoo on his forearm which Teddy found fitting considering his eyes. Teddy swept his eyes away, looking around for Jennifer or Melody to see if he could catch either witch headed into work, but there was no sign of them.

“Wands and mobiles go there,” said a stocky wizard with sharp eyes who directed James and Teddy towards the wand and security detectors. 

James, already well practiced with participating in bureaucratic security compliance, moved from Teddy’s side to place his wand in the box. Teddy followed suit, laying his wand on the right hand side of the box in its holder and dropping his mobile on the left.

“Your bag too?” came the voice again. Teddy shrugged off his bag and let it be inspected as the boxes were placed through the scanner. They handed Teddy back his bag and he followed James under the security arch. 

“Uh, sir!” a voice called, “you need to-”

Teddy turned around to see why the wizard behind them was stopped when James nudged him. 

“Don’t turn around,” he whispered, “but that’s Percival Graves.”

“Madison’s grandfather?” Teddy asked.

James nodded.

“Isn’t he heading the trial?”

James made a face, “Yeah. I guess it falls to him as he’s the Director of Magical Security. The Auror Divisions, the Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation, the Department of No-Maj Misinformation and the Surveillance Wizarding Resources Department all report to him. It’s his job to uphold the statute of secrecy, Rappaport’s, among other things...” James’ voice trailed off.

Teddy looked back as Percival was hastily pulling his robes back on.

“Wonder why he got stopped?” Teddy inquired aloud.

“Who knows?” James said with a little more urgency, “Could be a million reasons. C’mon, we need to get our MACUSA visitor badges, or we’ll be late.” He pulled Teddy over towards a large registration desk.

* * *

Teddy looked down at his visitor's badge on the left side of his chest. Now at the top floor of the MACUSA he and James stood in the queue outside the Pentagram Office for additional security screenings.

“Security here is wound tighter than Gringotts, huh?” Teddy whispered to James, trying his hand at the joke.

James nodded, “Yeah, top secret and all. But I filed the paperwork for a guest so we should be okay.”

Teddy looked down at his hands at that and tugged at the hem of his robes nervously.

Together they approached the door. A tall, thin wizard stood there behind a narrow table, wand in one hand, iPad in his other. “Wand?” he asked James with no preamble. James laid his on the table for inspection. The wizard waved his wand over James’, producing a faint blue light that sounded eerily like the ocean to Teddy. Nothing happened. Apparently satisfied, the wizard handed it back before holding out an iPad, “Palm?” he instructed. James laid his hand on the screen. The screen flashed green.

“You’re clear,” the wizard said to James letting him pass. James stood just outside the doors turning to wait for Teddy.

“Wand?” the wizard asked Teddy. It was his turn. Teddy laid his on the table inspection, as he’d watched James do. The wizard waved his wand producing the same faint blue light. Again, nothing happened. Apparently appeased, the wizard handed it back to Teddy, holding out the iPad, “Palm?” he asked, directly.

Teddy lifted his hand to the scanner. It blinked red. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in.” The wizard didn’t sound sorry at all.

“He’s with me,” James said boldly.

The wizard shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir. You have to be cleared to come in.”

“I put in a press request for guest clearance,“ James stated.

“Must not have processed. He’ll have to remain outside,” the man stated, clearly uninterested in assisting them further. 

“Do you know who-” James began, panic rising in his voice. 

Teddy rested his hand on James’ arm. “Let’s not start a commotion,” he said, pulling them both away from the door.

“But Teddy, I have to go inside-“ James looked torn as he bit on his lower lip. Teddy fought the urge to kiss it.

“I know,” Teddy said very gently. He looked down the hall and spied a bench near the signs for the bathrooms. “You’re going to go inside and be your amazing self. And I’m going to go use the loo,  _ change _ , and figure out a way to see you- after, of course, but during ideally. I’m not leaving,” he said with more confidence than he felt, putting a soft emphasis on the word change.

James’ eyes widened in response, “Teddy, you can’t mean...” 

Teddy raised his eyebrows.

“Just don’t get yourself arrested, please? I thought I was the one who needed to avoid breaking the law? Plus - I am already dealing with one trial,” James said seriously, but a hint of boyish mischief underlined his tone.

Teddy laughed at the memory, “I will be just fine.” He grabbed James’ hand and squeezed, it was the one small display of affection he allowed himself. He hoped it was enough.

He watched as James gave him one last look before turning to disappear into the courtroom. Teddy walked down the hall and ducked into the loo. Checking the bottom of the stalls to make sure no one else was in the bathroom, he cast  _ Lenso Revelio _ for any cameras that might be in the hallway. The results showed that they were all attached to personal devices, which surprised Teddy but encouraged him by the same measure - he assumed that meant they were safe enough in pockets and robes. Nothing to record him entering in.

Feeling slightly less nervous, Teddy locked himself in a stall, removed his visitor badge and concentrated on the wizard he’d seen with Brooklyn. His pale white skin, dark brown hair and goatee, the phoenix tattoo on his forearm. The unique amber shade of his eyes, the lines of his features. Satisfied, Teddy emerged from the stall and walked down the hallway, trying his best to emulate the mannerisms he’d gleaned from seeing the wizard earlier. 

His mind started racing, formulating a plan on how he could sneak into the Pentagram Office while avoiding the wand and iPad scanner - maybe he could head down to the Auror office and get himself some credentials? James did say he had applied for them. Heading down the stairs he walked towards the Auror floor. Maybe if he could find Brooklyn- 

“Hey, Ted!” a voice called down the hallway, “wait up!”

Teddy shoved his bag behind his back, jammed his hands in the pockets of his robes, and looked down in a panic. He was certain he’d morphed all his features just-so. How in the world did someone recognize him? And since when did he go by Ted? Anxiety rising, heart pounding in his chest, he looked up and realized that he didn’t recognize the witch who was coming towards him.

“How did you beat me here?” the voice asked and Teddy looked up to see a young, red haired witch with a flirty aquamarine grin. She looked him up and down with a discerning eye. “Did you change?” she asked, popping her hip out so Teddy could clearly see a tight rust-colored pencil skirt beneath her robes, as Teddy’s heart leapt up in his throat at the question. He shoved down his terror and struggled to regulate his breathing as she looked him up and down longingly before obviously deciding it didn’t matter. Taking off her black winter cloak so Teddy could see her white, low cut blouse beneath, she continued, “And I thought you were heading up Percival’s welcome this week. Didn’t you get assigned to accompany him at the trial?”

Teddy nodded in a daze. The noise from her shirt was loud, amplified by his own nerves, and he didn’t trust himself to speak. He definitely wouldn’t sound like ‘Ted.’ The witch didn’t seem to care. She leaned in towards him, grazing his arm with her fingertips. “I know you didn’t forget,” she said suggestively, “you never forget anything. You know what's at stake if Quahog is charged. I just hope Percival is still on our side.” Teddy remained silent, stomach quickly souring over both her tone and the words coming out of her mouth. Vaguely he wondered if this was how James had felt when Madison had tried to flirt and kiss him all those weeks ago. He stood still, fighting the urge to jump back and get her hand off of him, all the while hoping his skin felt the same as this ‘Ted’.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it,” the witch winked, apparently oblivious to ‘Ted’s’ discomfort - Teddy didn’t know if that meant he was doing a good job or if she was too oblivious to notice. “I will see you later,” She turned her heel and was off with a small wink, her tight skirt hugging her curves as she sashayed down the hallway.

Teddy let out the breath he suddenly realized he’d been holding as he continued to fight to get his heart rate back down to normal. He pulled out his hands and cursed - if he could only get them to change he could have avoided this whole mess entirely. He sighed, running his fingers through his now dark brown hair. He hated it. Suddenly everything about this half-baked plan felt wrong.

Teddy thought of James. His messy hair, his beautiful eyes, his bravery. The thought propelled him down the hall, forcing himself to continue. Teddy passed several doors, all of them locked by iPad hand scanners. Teddy hid his hands in his pockets on instinct.

After passing the fifth door he would never be able to open, Teddy began to formulate a new plan. He ducked into the loo, locked himself in a stall and morphed his features back to himself. Immediately he felt more at ease. Stepping out of the stall and moving to the mirror, Teddy ran his fingers through his blue hair until he was satisfied he’d changed his features back how he wanted them. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he ventured out again - this time headed for the department Department of No-Maj Misinformation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^_^ 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are as transforming as Teddy's metamorphmagy 💙
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	24. Color++

**Chapter 24 - Color++**

**** “Teddy!” Jennifer looked up from her desk, surprise clear in her tone, “what are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t visit my friend at work?” Teddy smiled. 

“Well sure you can! But a little warning would have been nice. Couldn’t you have sent your Patronus or something?”

Teddy frowned. He hadn’t even thought to cast his Patronus. 

“It’s okay,” Jenn reassured, “l am happy to see you. Just surprised is all. What are you doing here? Wait - it’s James’ testimony today, isn’t it?”

Teddy nodded, “Yes, and I need your help.”

There was a pause, and then “My help?” Jenn’s voice sounded confused.

Teddy nodded again. 

“What do you need?” Jenn asked. “I’m not sure how much help I can be, but I’ll try.”

Looking around Teddy leaned over and lowered his voice, “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

Jennifer looked at Teddy with some measure of concern, but she soon nodded and moved to pull them both into an abandoned conference room. Holding out her wand, she locked the door with a _Colloportus_ and then cast _Muffliato_ with a confidence that immediately reminded him of James. He smiled. 

“What’s so funny?” Jenn asked. 

“Sometimes you and James are just so alike,” he confessed before he could stop himself. 

Jennifer smiled, bright and warm - her normal purple vibration shifting to a bright warm glow. “Well of course we are!” She laughed, “I like to think you and Troy have good instincts in long-term partners.”

The resoluteness with which she declared this made Teddy’s heart jump to his throat. Long-term partners. The words reverberated through his heart – he really liked the sound of it. Thinking of James, another thought bubbled up, “Hey, that reminds me. Would you and Troy like to go to Ruby’s gala as a double date? As our Christmas? Since James and I will be going back to England for the actual holiday...”

“Oh! We were thinking about something similar anyway,” Jenn’s face lit up, “Troy says it should be a pretty incredible gallery.” 

“Oi awesome!” Teddy smiled. “And he’s probably right. Her events are quite the production.”

“You couldn’t have possibly dragged me into an abandoned conference room to ask me that though.” Jenn crossed her arms. 

“Well no,” Teddy confessed, “I need your help to get into the trial.”

“Getting into-” Jenn’s voice was urgent, “Teddy! How in the world am I going to help you with that? Honestly you can’t just waltz in there, you know? They have tighter security than Fort Knox!” The lights in the conference room suddenly went out, leaving them both in darkness. “Goddammit. I meant Gringotts! Lumos," she intoned, lights returning, before continuing, “Just how are you planning to get in? And where do I fit in all this? Also, kind of a big deal, but wouldn’t that make me an accomplice?”

“A willing accomplice for a minor infraction, I think, er-” Teddy gave her a grin and hoped she would respond in kind, “it wouldn’t be a huge deal. James put in a guest press request form to grant me access and I was sort of hoping - would you help me push it through?” 

Jenn sighed. “You’re so freaking lucky that they give coordinators access to all the computer systems.”

“And that you know more about computer systems than they do?” Teddy offered, grinning mischievously.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “You know that I do - couldn't have survived back in Wisconsin without being able to learn a thing or two. Honestly it’s a shame most wizards wouldn’t know how to code their way out of a paper bag. That’s not a NoMaj thing - it’s just practical. We all carry mini-computers in our pockets anyway.”

“Will you please help, Jenn?” Teddy widened his eyes just a smidge in hopes it would make him look more endearing. “I promised James I would be there. I want to at least try.”

She pulled out her wand and canceled the silencing charm. “You’re lucky I love a challenge. You so owe me for this one, Teddy Lupin! _Alohamora_ ,” she unlocked the door in a rough whisper. Her eyes looked eager as they both left.

“Anything,” Teddy promised.

“I’ll remember that,” she declared and motioned for him to follow her. Her features radiated a bright blue, clearly accepting his challenge. Teddy got the impression that meant she couldn’t be too unhappy with all this, not when she looked so determined. Walking about to her desk, she seemed to be muttering to herself, “if I can connect into ORACLE via MajFrame, I can see if I can find James’ or your credentials…”

Sitting down in her chair, she loaded up MajFrame on her screen. The MACUSA internal system looked very clunky in its design as Teddy watched Jennifer in fascination as she smoothly navigated through the various screens and prompts. “It’s a testament to how much I love you both that I am doing this,” she said sincerely, glancing back over her shoulder, “Did James register you under your full name?”

Teddy shook his head. “He didn’t say. I’d imagine it was just Teddy Lupin. That’s what we used on my visitor pass anyway.”

“Which is where? Exactly?” Jennifer asked, taking her eyes off the screen for a moment to look him up and down.

“I forgot to put it back- I mean I forgot to put it on.” Teddy looked down sheepishly.

Jenn eyed him skeptically before she let out a small laugh. “It’s okay. Well, by me anyway. You may want to re-put-it-on,” letting Teddy know she’d caught the word-slip before she turned back to the screen, “I think I’m in anyway.”

She had several programs open on her screen. Teddy couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was looking at, but Jenn seemed at ease. He watched as she typed new commands on one of the lines before hitting Enter.

“Okay,” she said as she turned to look at him, “you should be all set. I’ll have my people owl your people.”

Teddy laughed. “Thank you! I really owe you one.”

“Yes, yes you really do,” she said with a small chuckle, quickly closing down the various windows and tabs. “Now get out of here!”

“Don’t you want to add access for yourself?” Teddy teased before he left. But Jenn shook her head somberly. The mood turned more serious than he had intended.

“Trust me, I am so super tempted now that I know I can do this, but I better not. My manager quit two days ago and I am vying for a promotion. If anyone asks, I never saw you." She gave a half smile.

“Probably smarter that way,” Teddy said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, “I won’t say thank you again because I was never here.” 

Jenn laughed. “Nope you weren’t. Now go on - get outta here. Before we’re both caught red-handed.”

Teddy looked down at his hands. He hoped what Jenn just did would be enough. Shouldering his bag he let out a “here-goes-nothing” sigh and made the split-second decision to morph his hair strawberry blond before he headed back to the Pentagram office. Somehow it helped him feel braver.

* * *

The Pentagram Office turned courtroom was crowded, stuffy and the colors dark - Teddy didn’t much like the atmosphere, the deep vibrations left him feeling almost more anxious than the process of hacking his way in had. It didn’t help that as Teddy entered the courtroom he saw James stepping down from the witness stand. He held his head high as he walked away and sat back on a bench. Teddy was torn between feeling awful that he’d missed his testimony and proud of James for managing to say whatever he had. With a queasiness in his stomach, Teddy walked toward the back and carefully slid in next to James, grabbing his hand. James looked up in surprise, gave a small smile and squeezed back. 

“I don’t know how you got in,” James whispered, “but I’m _really_ glad you’re here.”

Teddy felt like he could finally breathe and squeezed James’ hand again. 

“The disciplinary hearing looking into offences committed in violation of Rappaport’s Law as was instituted by Emily Rappaport, the 15th President of MACUSA, in 1790, by the accused, Samuel G. Quahog, President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, continues,” Percival Graves commanded the room. Unlike this morning he was now giving off a deep red vibration that reminded Teddy of blood. Teddy felt a shiver run down his spine. “Mr. Potter has leveled allegations against the President. Can everyone in this room not agree that his testimony under Veritaserum was as complete a truth as he recalled?”

There were murmurings around the room. Teddy shot a sideways glance towards James. He wondered if the potion had worn off yet. He wondered what James had been asked. He kicked himself for missing so much- 

“Witches and Wizards of the MACUSA, this is a clear case of assault,” a stern witch with her hair in a tight bun stood next to a voluptuous, blonde haired woman that Teddy recognized as Shannon spoke, her voice steel. “The law will instruct you that assault is any act that, by its nature, results in the application of physical force to another person-”

“Objection!” the President called from the middle of the Pentagram. Teddy saw him as a white vibration that overpowered his senses. It hurt to look at him. 

“Overruled - you will speak when spoken to,” Percival said dangerously. There was a wild glint in his eyes, “Presented with the evidence from Mr. Potter, I would advise you to remain silent.”

The President glared at Percival but did not open his mouth again.

“As Mr. Potter has proven, Shannon Ridgewilde is a witch, which has altered my client’s charge. With a valid claim to Ms. Ridgewilde’s bloodline, my client was not in violation of Rappaport’s Law, your honor,” An older wizard in high collared robes projected formally.

“Perhaps that is true, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that the other No-Maj women clearly possess no magical lineage. And the fact remains that Ms. Ridgewilde was still taken advantage of before this new evidence was presented before the court,” the witch’s voice was serious and grave. Shannon looked down at her hands, a sallow green vibration coming off her cheeks.

As the proceedings continued on, Teddy found it hard to concentrate with James sitting next to him and the heaviness in the room pressing down around them both. All he wanted to do was take the other man into his arms and hold him tight. But he couldn’t. So he spent the next several hours looking over at him, offering reassuring glances and hand squeezes that he hoped were enough to say ‘I’m sorry I was too late, but I am very proud of you.’ 

For his part James looked very focused on the trial’s proceedings, taking diligent notes and every now and again reaching over to squeeze Teddy’s hand back. Typing furiously, Teddy caught drafts of possible headlines - **Live updates: Presidential Impeachment Proceedings - Trial Reveals New Evidence, Reporter James Potter Brings Live Coverage** and **Shannon Ridgewilde, Witch? -** but noticed James didn’t post anything up while he sat in the courtroom, merely taking it all in with rapt interest. The expression on his face reminded Teddy of a particular day, almost exactly 10 years ago, when he found himself, completely unbidden, on the other side of the desk in Headmistress McGonagall’s office.

“Mr. Lupin,” her face had been stern like green steel, “care to explain what you’re doing here?”

Teddy had felt his shoulders shrug as he struggled to stop his hair morphing a mousy brown. He had been doodling during Professor Flitwick’s lecture on nonverbal spells. Not that he had been disinterested in the topic but his NEWTs were ages and ages away and it was all just so incredibly challenging. No matter how many times both his Gran and Victoire had insisted on their importance, Teddy had found that he struggled to find the required power for them. And studying for NEWTs could come later, he had been up long past curfew chatting with the portraits and sketching out pieces for his portfolio. And it was his final year to do so. He had recently decided he was going to send out his works for consideration and he was enthralled with the idea, wanting to spend every waking moment he could sketching and creating new pieces. He must have dozed off at some point because the next thing he’d known he was being shaken.

“MR. LUPIN!” Flitwick’s voice had cut through his sleepy haze like a knife, “I will not abide a Head Boy falling asleep in my class. With NEWTs so close, no less! Care to explain yourself?”

Teddy had looked up with glazed eyes and had shrugged, before looking down at his notebook. His sketch in the margin had been smudged to shit. “Bloody Hell!” he’d called out on instinct, louder than he’d intended, earning sniggers from his classmates and a frustrated look from the Ravenclaw Head of House.

“If you’re so disinterested in my lecture, Mr. Lupin, I think that the Headmistress might be interested to hear why that is. You’re dismissed.” Flitwick had raised his hand in clear dismissal. The entire class had watched as Teddy walked out of the room in the direction of the Headmistress’ office.

“Well, if you can’t explain your infraction,” McGonagall’s voice had sounded serious, “Maybe I should have you handle the one you interrupted.” She’d lifted her hand and Teddy had wheeled around to see James sitting on the velvet grey couch behind them both, his expression had been flat but determined - though his eyes had seemed to lighten up some when Teddy had looked at him.

“James?” Teddy had asked with some surprise, “what are you doing here?”

James had shrugged and Teddy had felt overwhelmed in that moment, feeling like he was setting a poor example if they were both there. He remembered feeling like he’d wanted to chuck his Head Boy badge out the window - an action he thought about doing many, many times privately. The sensation was not unlike how he was feeling now as Graves’ voice brought Teddy back to the proceedings.

Teddy watched as all the witnesses were required to ingest Veritaserum before they spoke. Alongside each interrogation, the incriminating photos James himself had taken were magically projected into the middle of the courtroom as No-Maj victims’ faces were shown along with more graphic images of events that Teddy surmised must have been pulled from the victims’ subconscious directly. As evidence of the President’s violations were placed on display, every allegation was scrutinized to within an inch of its life. Teddy felt himself going numb. He watched as James continued to scribble in his notebook, his hand flew across the page, leaving hurried chicken scratch in its wake, and all done with a determined look on his face similar to the one he wore ten years ago. 

“Some Hufflepuff called my friend a Mudblood,” James had informed them both, “so I took care of it.”

“Dare I ask how?” Teddy had asked, raising his eyebrows. One of his Hufflepuff first years had used that word? Teddy glanced over at McGonagall who looked torn between sympathizing and ordering detention.

“By hexing the kid into next week,” James lips had turned up at the corners, the start of his signature grin, but had been quickly schooled back into place. 

“James,” Teddy had said as he sighed, “you know better than to solve anything with violence.”

“I know.” James had looked at the floor. “But they deserved it.” He’d kicked the rug.

“Mr. Potter,” McGonagall’s voice had floated across the room, “fifty points from Gryffindor, and detention with Filch, tomorrow night. I can see that I should expect to see you in my office as often as I saw your father.”

“Yes ma’am.” James' face had been drawn tight. “I’m not sorry I hexed him - I wanted to stand up for what was right.”

Professor McGonagall had eyed James from across the room, “Sometimes, Mr. Potter, standing up for what we believe in is the only thing we can do. But there are other ways to handle it. Using your words instead would have been a good start. Now, I suggest both of you run along unless you want to join him in detention, Teddy.”

Both boys had moved swiftly out of the headmistress’ office. Standing in the hallway Teddy had looked down at James, who had grown several inches since the summer. 

“You know you could have just told him off, right?” Teddy had whispered.

“Oh c’mon Ted-ward!” James had pushed back, eyes alight with conviction. “Where’s your sense of justice?”

Teddy couldn’t remember how he’d responded, but he remembered wrapping his arms around James for a quick hug in the hallway before they had headed off in separate directions. James had looked so relieved at the contact - like all would be okay simply because Teddy had held him for five-seconds. Teddy had always assumed that being a social justice warrior was part of James’ genetic lottery inheritance but now wondered how incidents like this one may have imprinted a sense of justice upon James. He certainly maintained his tenacity when presented with those he felt had been wronged. 

“The charges against the accused are as follows: that the President did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, violate Rappaport’s Law by having sexual relations with multiple No-Maj women, all of whom have been interrogated to corroborate their stories and align with our witness testimonies here today, violating the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. The motion for his removal from office has been heard - the court will resume next week to continue the investigation,” Percival Graves’ voice carried a finality to it, “court dismissed.”

Chatter broke out as wizards and witches stood up to leave. James snapped his notebook closed and smiled up at Teddy. It didn’t carry its usual golden glow though - Teddy wondered if the Veritaserum had removed it temporarily. He tried to remember how long the effect of the potion lasted and if there were any known side effects - 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you were called up to the stand,” Teddy said sincerely, leaning closer to James, finally able to talk. “I wish I could have been. I feel awful I missed it.”

“It’s okay Ted-ster - my memories are going to be up on PenSave later tonight anyway,” James said, voice low, but with a small smile behind his words. His normal yellow vibration remained extremely muted. "Besides the important part is that you got in at all. Honestly you’re amazing. I don’t know how you managed it, but I’m- I mean,” James licked his lips and stuck his notebook in his pocket, taking Teddy’s hand, “when I felt you grab my hand, it was like I had extra strength or something. I don’t know if that makes any sense. But looking over and seeing you, even with your strawberry blond hair, it was like I could breathe again. And I knew you wouldn’t ask me anything. You wouldn’t demand anything but sitting next to me, and- and-”

James’ voice cut off as his cheeks flushed. Teddy fought the urge to kiss him and collect him up in his arms - finding the restraint was far more difficult than he expected. He looked into James’ eyes, which looked a little overwhelmed, and felt pride swell in his chest. He reached out to grasp James’ hand, he wanted to do more but it was the most contact he would allow himself at the moment. He attempted a smile, “I am glad I could be here for you then. Sounds like we both need to thank Jenn later.”

“Jenn?” James looked up surprised, “what did she do?”

Teddy nodded. “Sometimes it pays to have friends who will help you to manage a little mischief.”

James laughed, his face really brightening for the first time in hours. “I _knew_ I liked her!”

Teddy threaded their fingers together briefly, drawing his own strength from the contact before letting go. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. I have to see an Encrypti-Spinx about returning a certain WizNet contract, and you have some very important things to post.” Glancing around the now half-empty Pentagram Office, he nodded towards the door. He hoped he’d never be back and felt very sorry for James that he had to be.

James' eyes followed his, “True. But, do you after we could...?” Teddy’s eyes flashed over to James as he moved closer so he could whisper directly into Teddy’s ear, “Do you think we can find a little time to just lay on the couch and do nothing? I’m a little more beat than I want to admit and could really use-”

Teddy laughed softly as his eyes held flecks of gold - he could feel the change, but he didn’t really stop it. He wanted nothing more than to hold James on the couch, the prospect warmed him from the inside out. He lowered his voice and hid his smile unsuccessfully, “Some cuddle time?” 

“Absolutely!” James looked elated. “Let’s get out of here. There’s no need to stick around this awful place any longer. Plus I’ll have to be back soon enough anyhow.”

Teddy silently agreed. Letting James lead the way, Teddy grabbed his bag and followed him out of the courtroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trial you all have been waiting for! This chapter was one of the trickiest to write - but I thought it came out well in the end. James is on his crusade for justice. What did you think?
> 
> Comments and Kudos are like butter on toast - they make everything better <3
> 
> Follow me at https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/ if you want to hang out on tumblr :D


	25. Contemporary Amber

**Chapter 25 - Contemporary Amber**

As they exited the Woolworth Building and began walking to the Apparition point, Teddy reminded James that he had to rush back to his studio to give the Encrypti-Sphinx his signed WizNet contract. In the end he had reviewed it thoroughly and had made some minor notes; overall he was fairly pleased with the offer, but none of that mattered if he didn't submit it in time.

James grabbed his hand and squeezed, “Go - don’t miss the deadline!”

“No way!” Teddy admonished with mock horror that somehow still caused his stomach to flip like a pancake. “I won’t if I go-” Teddy smiled, letting go of James’ hand to check the time on his phone, “right now.”

James smiled, “Would you mind if I Apparate back to your place and get started on my posts and articles for today’s, ern- events while you did that?”

“Why in the world would I mind?” Teddy’s grin was wide, “Sounds like a great plan to me - kills two birds with one stone and leaves us more cuddling time,” he winked.

James laughed, “Oh you figured out my evil plan?”

Teddy smiled, “Well anything that leaves us with more cuddling time can’t be all that evil, right?”

James’ returning grin and wink was all he received before James Disapparated.

Teddy Apparated directly into his studio kitchenette. Rushing to his front room, he was pleased to see the Encrypti-Sphinx waiting outside. He opened the door to let in the glowing orange sphinx and breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't too late, feeling the stress of the day start to fall off his shoulders. He hadn’t realized he was wound up quite so tight. Suddenly cuddling on the couch with James sounded like the perfect cure-all, better than any magic. 

The sphinx padded across the room and jumped up onto Teddy’s desk before settling down to lick at its paw calmly. Teddy watched with an odd, distinct serenity that certainly had not been born from the day's events. The magic was certainly captivating.

“Password?” the sphinx asked.

“Teddy Lupin,” Teddy said automatically before he corrected himself, “Edward Lupin.”

“Contract?” The same robotic voice was back before the sphinx’s mouth dropped open wide. Teddy took the contract from his bag and fed it to the sphinx - he had seen some unique magic before but inserting the WizNet contract into the sphinx's mouth definitely ranked in the top ten. It was a bit surreal as he watched the papers disappear. “Thank you. Alerting Jason Fischer of receipt of contract. Will be in touch with next steps. Returning to head corporate offices now,” the sphinx declared before jumping off Teddy’s desktop and moving gracefully towards the door. Teddy held it open and the sphinx nodded in his direction before taking off like a shot into the rapidly dimming night.

With a sigh Teddy cast  _ Colloportus  _ before turning back, his newest painting catching his eye. It really was one of his best works, he decided, his eyes tracing from right to left before coming to rest on the deer moving around the top of the teapot. With barely a thought, Teddy’s hair morphed back to turquoise as a sigh escaped his lips. Wrapping his arms around himself, he could feel his chest tighten, heart racing within. He thought back to James’ declaration of how Teddy felt like home and his heart swelled in his chest - he didn’t know how it was possible to love someone so much. It was like James had ignited a fire inside him, setting off all his nerves at once. 

Apparating home, Teddy appeared in the living room where James was in front of the Floo, deep in conversation with Luna.

“-so I have tomorrow’s articles right here,” Teddy watched as James held up his phone to the flames, “going to send it off via OwlMail for editing tonight - they will be ready to print in the morning, so you’ll have them well before Monday’s issue. I also got two PenSave posts up tonight - one on the Quibbler’s account specifically, so you don’t have to worry about those.”

Luna smiled, “Alright, good.” Teddy thought her voice sounded dreamy, but then it always took on that quality, similar to her whimsical periwinkle-vibration, “Good work, James. I’m glad the truth is in your hands.”

James smiled, “One word at a time.”

Luna turned her head as she spoke to someone out of the Floo. James took the moment to look up at Teddy and smile. Teddy felt his heart skip a beat - for the first time that day James’ yellow vibration was back in all its brilliance.

“James,” Luna said through the fire, “I have to address-”

James waved her off with a small laugh, “Go. I’ll hit send on this message now.”

She gave a small smile and the Floo was shut off. No sooner had the flames gone out than Teddy heard the “whoosh” of OwlMail being sent and found himself with his arms full of James.

“I know I just saw you,” James said, leaning his head on Teddy’s chest, “but I’m so happy you're here and I can do this now,” he leaned up and pressed his lips to Teddy's, warm and reassuring and incredibly loving. Teddy kissed back with fervor until the room started to spin. Reluctantly pulling away he looked down at James. “Bed or couch?” he whispered, allowing the other man the choice to lead the way.

“Well my evil plan originally involved the couch,” James teased but he didn’t move. Instead he wrapped his arms around Teddy’s waist, securing them both in place.

Teddy stroked his hair. “Then couch it is,” he said softly, holding James close for a moment more before they both moved to the sofa.

They laid there for a while in each other's arms, simply holding one another in comfortable silence - the width of the couch driving them to cuddle close. Teddy, in a burst of wandless magic, summoned over his favorite yellow blanket and covered them both. Warmth seeped into his bones while they lost track of time, never letting go of one another. It felt surreal and Teddy couldn’t believe how lucky he was to hold the younger man in his arms. 

As if he could hear Teddy’s thoughts, James whispered, “I love you,” into Teddy’s ear.

“I love you too,” Teddy squeezed him tight.

“I know, but it’s nice to hear,” James let out a breath. “All this has been even more challenging than I thought it would be. I can’t imagine what it would be like if you weren’t here.”

“I know you could get through this without me,” Teddy held him tighter, “but for what it’s worth to you, I am happy you want me here.”

James looked up at Teddy with so much intensity that Teddy felt like his heart might beat out of his chest. “I wouldn’t want you anywhere else,” he said seriously.

Before Teddy could do or say anything in response, James kissed him. The moment their lips met Teddy felt his whole body respond, tangling his fingers in James’ hair. His eyes fluttered closed - James really was a wonderful kisser. James held him close, hands pressing lightly on the small of Teddy’s back as he sucked on Teddy’s lower lip. Teddy felt his own lips part automatically at the first brush of James’ tongue requesting more.

Teddy groaned into his mouth, and James responded in kind, deepening the kiss and pressing their hips together down into the sofa. He slipped his hands under the hem of Teddy’s shirt and pulled up, peeling off the layer of fabric. Teddy obliged, helping to pull the fabric over his head before James pressed his lips to Teddy’s once more. Kissing passionately, James poured himself into the kiss for several minutes before pulling away so they could lock eyes, their lips so close they were practically still touching. Through his lashes Teddy could see the spatter of light as it hit James’ face, brightening his golden features. He smiled.

“I thought we were meant to be cuddling,” Teddy said teasingly, as James moved to kiss his way down Teddy’s torso. 

“Hm, maybe,” James teased back while his hands played with Teddy’s waistband, “or maybe I just felt like I wanted to do more with my best boyfriend in the world.”

“But, you don’t have to,” Teddy said sincerely, “I love cuddling with you.”

“I know I don’t have to,” James' voice was alight with mischief and pleasure as he freed Teddy’s cock, fingertips running up and down the back of his shaft slowly, teasingly. “I  _ want _ to.” 

A gasp escaped Teddy's lips as James lowered himself down to take him into his mouth. Teddy’s mind went blank for a moment before he could focus on the hot, wonderful heat of James' mouth wrapped around his cock, talented tongue teasing the head. Teddy shuddered, shivers running down his spine and his stomach coiling as heat pooled there. The vision of James' red lips, stretched around him, moving up and down, the sorcery of that skilled tongue and mouth that was lavishing him with pleasure. 

“Bloody hell, James,” Teddy gasped out as he writhed beneath the other man. The words only seemed to encourage James who started humming around Teddy’s shaft - the vibrations spread throughout his body, green in their all-consuming intensity, and set his every nerve ending on fire with searing ecstasy. He continued to moan, getting louder as James continued. Teddy couldn't help himself as James skillfully played him like an instrument, sucking hard, playing with the tip, and taking him deeper - each producing a unique sound that James savored.

“James!” Teddy couldn’t stop his panting as James moved his hand to tease his balls, gently rolling them in his fingers while continuing to suck and lick and tease, moving his mouth up and down on Teddy’s cock before removing it entirely. Teddy almost groaned at the loss but it was soon replaced by a gasp as James moved to suck on his balls, his sensitive sack hot and heavy as James expertly pumped his cock. Teddy closed his eyes and moaned, loving the sensations that flowed throughout his body. 

James nuzzled Teddy’s sack once more before going even lower, teasing Teddy with short puffs of air between his cheeks. 

“Jame-“ Teddy began, his tone questioning, but was quickly cut off when James’ tongue gave its first lick against his hole.

James’ slippery hot tongue brushed at Teddy's asshole as he settled in, dragging longer licks over him before pressing into the tight pucker. Teddy couldn’t help it, he whimpered.

“Mmmm,” Teddy moaned, lost for words. The feeling of James’ tongue inside him almost too much to handle. So lost to the pleasure, his practiced control over his own body threatened to slip with each swipe. The intensity of it nearly consumed him. “James! Won’t last,” he panted, “Need to cum.” 

Teasingly James moved back up Teddy’s cock, his tongue licking up towards the tip, spreading the precum that had pooled there. 

“Mmm, sweet,” James muttered before taking the tip in his mouth slowly, engulfing Teddy an inch at a time. The slow pace was both torturous and wonderful. Teasing fingers ran up and down the inside of his thighs and Teddy thrust up into the warmth of James’ mouth, rocking his hip for more. 

James’ fingers moved, settling on Teddy’s hips. Warm hands pushed Teddy down against the couch, holding him in place. No longer able to move, Teddy surrendered to James as he felt the tension in his stomach grow, seeking release. 

“Ah, Jamie - close. I’m so close,” Teddy gasped out as he watched James suck him down to his balls, clearly prepared to swallow every last drop of cum Teddy was going to give him, looking like he would be happy just to exist off of his cum and nothing else. It was the look of love in his eyes combined with the sight of his red lips tight around Teddy’s cock that was his undoing. 

With a cry Teddy came hard, spilling his seed down the back of James’ throat. James swallowed every last drop, lapping at Teddy’s cock, continuing to suck as the last of the tremors left Teddy’s body.

Sated, Teddy sunk into the couch as James climbed back up his chest, kissing Teddy’s lips deeply. Teddy could taste himself on James’ tongue and found he didn’t mind it there, affection and want for the other man outweighing anything else. With a groan Teddy could feel James’ own erection pressed into his stomach. Without hesitation he reached down to palm it, warmth radiating through James’ trousers.

“Nah - it’s -”

“Shhh-” Teddy kissed James again, running his fingers under James’ waistband teasingly. “Your turn.” Teddy kissed him again as he moved to undo James’ zipper, stroking through the cotton of James’ boxer briefs in a way he thought would drive him wild. James let out a groan.

“More, Teddy,” he begged. 

Teddy’s hands moved back up to James’ waistband where he tugged down. James lifted up his hips and Teddy pulled, freeing his cock which sprang forth and hit against Teddy's chest with an audible slap. Teddy took a minute to admire the sight, James below him, wanton and hot, sexy glint in his eyes as he looked at Teddy like he was the most precious thing in the entire world. Teddy felt his heart speed up and reached out to run his fingers along the length. James felt so good and heavy in his hands. 

Moving closer, Teddy pressed their stomachs together and stroked up and down, creating friction with his body, soft skin rubbing against firm. James looked lost in pleasure, the sensation seeming to drive him wild.

“Oh, yes!” James moaned as he moved his hips, rocking faster and faster as Teddy kissed him soundly. He lovingly ran his hand up and down James’ cock, gripping harder and pumping faster. James’ cock seemed to grow harder in his hands as he got closer to release.

“Are you going to cum for me?” Teddy whispered in James’ ear.

“Ah, yes, Teddy-” James barely got the warning out, breathless from his constant sounds of pleasure. 

“Cum for me,” Teddy ordered lovingly, unable to think of anything hotter than James cumming for him. He moved to kiss down James’ neck, loving the reactions of the man under him. 

Teddy felt James shudder and cry out in release, load after load of his milk coating their stomachs and threatening to dribble down onto the couch. Teddy took his thumb to catch the runoff and brought it up to his lips.

“Mmmm,” he licked it off. “So good. So hot.”

“You-” James mouth gaped open. He looked so impossibly happy to be there surrounded by Teddy in the warmth of his apartment. 

Teddy pulled him close and kissed him deeply. “Me,” he whispered, “and you. Together.”

“Cheesy-” James admonished - silly grin on his face.

“True,” Teddy shot back with a small smile, “but no less truthful.”

“Yeah,” James snuggled into his side. “I love you, Teddy.”

Teddy wrapped his arm around James’ back and pulled him close. He felt a surge of protectiveness rush through him mixing with deep affection and contentment. Looking down at the incredible man in his arms, Teddy felt so completely whole - it was a novel feeling providing so much warmth throughout his body he knew he would hold onto the moment for the rest of his life. Leaning down, he kissed the top of James’ head, “I love you, too.”

James snuggled closer.

* * *

“I have it!” Az excitedly announced Saturday morning, breaking through Teddy’s thoughts as she burst through his door. Looking up from his computer, he gave her a befuddled look.

“Wha-?” he asked, but before he could finish that thought she threw herself into the chair across from him, her orange robes catching the edge and fanning out wide like a ballgown or old fifties party dress. A pattern of small woodland creatures in similar color tones danced about her sleeves. She grinned a sly smile.

“Were you serious? I get carte blanche for one post.” She looked far too excited about the prospect.

“Yes,” Teddy looked at her seriously, “Though I’m starting to question my judgment with that smile on your face. That said, I do trust you not to post something terribly awful.” He shot a slight warning look but didn’t hold it for very long.

“Good,” Az looked pleased, “because I want you to do a cross-post with me.”

“With you?”

“Yes.”

“And what would you have us feature?”

“Well,” Az leaned forward, pulling out her phone, “I did this post recently that caught a lot of attention - take a look.”

Looking into the screen Teddy saw an image of Az standing in front of a soft pink and light blue background, split down the center. Save for the black witch’s hat on her head, she was adorned in Muggle clothes: white skinny jeans and a white tank top paired with tall black stiletto boots to her knees. Her face held a defiant look, almost daring someone to challenge her for blending the Wizarding and No-Maj world so brazenly. It was clear she was making a statement. The absence of color in her ensemble, which Teddy thought to be fairly unusual for her, caused a loud buzzing in Teddy’s head. Distracted, he almost didn’t realize she was speaking until he looked back up. 

“-with the trial and the whole mess with the President, I wanted to create a series this week that addressed witches’ rights and, perhaps most importantly, the blending of No-Majs with our society. I’ve been planning it for a little while and finally was able to get the posts up starting last Monday. This was the one I posted Thursday and it’s my most controversial and interest-generating post of them all - did you see the amount of comments and likes it got?”

Teddy shook his head, he’d been too engrossed in processing the image. He couldn’t imagine what the comments would say - if they were even a fraction like the response James had been getting, he could only imagine the intensity of them.

“Well, it’s been great for me - any conflict is good for my business as long as it generates followers and remains more constructive than not.”

Teddy nodded, “Alright. That’s great news for you, right?”

Az nodded enthusiastically.

“Awesome. Congratulations,” Teddy offered sincerely, “but I’m not sure I understand what this has to do with me.”

Az leaned forward, a glint in her eye. “I want you to digitally color the white.”

“Huh?” Teddy was completely baffled. He studied her a moment, he didn’t think she was Legilimens. Teddy thought back - he couldn’t remember telling Az about his want to cover up white all the time.

“I want you to create something on my outfit so I can re-post this back up. If you want - if you’re more comfortable - I will only post it on my page. But if you think you can stand to have the final product on your account as well, I will post it there first and then re-post it on my page.”

“And what do you want on the white?” Teddy knew his mind was racing faster than a World Cup Snitch. He looked at Az - did she even realize what she was asking him to do? Probably not, he decided, but he wanted to hug her for it. 

“Zenzen” Az waved her hand, “oops sorry - I mean it doesn’t matter. Connect it to the trial, continue my original statement or make one of your own - I trust you’ll come up with something amazing. Even if it’s just abstract expressionism,” her eyes flickered up to Teddy’s newest piece on the wall above them.

Teddy followed her gaze and smiled. “Can you send me the digital files?”

Az smiled, “I already sent you the originals this morning.”

“How quick do you want the turn around?” Teddy pinched himself. The question was just a formality - he knew that he could have the piece finished by lunch if he let himself start now.

“How’s Wednesday? Enough time? I want to post it by Thursday. But I could do Friday afternoon if needed.” 

“Wednesday should be plenty of time,” Teddy gave her a genuine smile.

“Excellent,” she smiled, “so about your other posts for the week…”

Az launched into the content calendar for the week - the normal in-progress posts, several portraits she wanted on the docket and would Teddy be so kind to post some of his digital works too? Teddy nodded absentmindedly - his attention was all turned to Az’s ask to plus up her existing post. Teddy thought of Shannon’s face at the trial, all solemn and sunken, and James’ lips which had been set in a determined line. He thought of the colors they’d radiated - her dull, sick vibrations and the off-yellow of James’ that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He knew exactly what he would do with those colors - if it was controversy Az was after, he would give Az her deepest post yet.

“Hey Teddy,” Az looked over at him, “ever thought about getting a tattoo?”

The total and complete change of subject threw Teddy slightly off balance. He looked down at himself, rubbing his wrist a little uncomfortably. He had thought about getting a tattoo once, even gone so far as to accompany Jennifer when she had thought about getting one. Troy wouldn’t be caught dead doing something so No-Maj, even if they went to a wizarding shop, but Teddy had had no qualms either way - even offered to draw something out for her - and Troy had no issues with his best friend accompanying his then girlfriend. “Teddy has better eyes for that kinda stuff than even me,” he’d said to Jennifer beforehand one night while the three of them were discussing what kind of design she wanted. 

But in the end she hadn’t ended up getting one at all. Troy ended up proposing which meant suddenly they had a wedding to plan and the idea kind of just fell by the wayside. But the thought had lingered in Teddy’s mind for a while after visiting the tattoo parlor. He had dreamed up some ideas, a moon on his shoulder, or a wolf on his upper arm, or maybe something simple like a paintbrush on the inside of his wrist, but in the end he just couldn’t commit to having a permanent vibration of lines or color on his skin. Besides if he really wanted a tattoo he could morph it onto his skin everyday. But somehow that felt a little like cheating and besides, it would be difficult for him to not want to remorph the lines every time they annoyed him anyway, so he would constantly reset them how he liked them, like a nervous tick or something. No - better to let another artist draw on his skin and decide on something permanent in that case. 

“I have,” he started slowly before picking up the pace, “but in the end I don’t think they are really for me.”

Az bit her lip and nodded.

“Why?” Teddy asked, suddenly curious. “Do you think I should get one? Are you getting one?” Another thought occurred to him, “Do you already have one?”

“What is this, Twenty Questions?” Az laughed good-naturedly, brushing her hair back, “and for the record, no. I don’t have any tattoos. At least not yet.” There was a beat of silence before she let out a small sigh, “but magical tattoos are kinda having a moment on MajGram. Trending like you wouldn’t believe. So I thought I might, maybe, look into getting one. The process of getting one could drive content and, maybe, if you drew it, we could use it to drive up your engagement on the platform too,” she looked simultaneously excited by the thought and terrified by what Teddy would think of the idea, “It was just a thought anyway.”

Teddy gave himself a moment to think about it. It wasn’t like he was getting a tattoo and he didn’t, necessarily, mind having his art permanently inked on Az’s skin - provided it was something within his wheelhouse and artistic esthetic - but he did not want to become the go-to wizarding artist for tattoos. He expressed that particular fear to Az.

“Oh,” she giggled a little, accompanied by a pale-pink vibration of relief, “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I could even make it clear that this is a one-off opportunity - if you were interested in drawing something up, of course.”

“I might have to think about it,” Teddy looked her in the eye. “What would you want anyway?”

“A rose,” she said, “on the inside of my wrist.”

“A rose?” Teddy asked.

“Yes. Or a Dragon. A small Dragon. A Chinese Fireball? But probably a rose.”

“What about a Dragon wrapped around a rose?” Teddy shot off the first idea that came to mind, followed by a quick second, “or a Dragon in the shape of a rose?” 

Az’s eyes lit up and Teddy knew he would have to add those tattoo ideas to the mountain of sketches he was already working on. He was mildly surprised she didn’t want something more fashion related, but her idea was more unexpected that way, he supposed. “Ok, I will dream something up - but it might not be done until well after the holidays. You okay with that?”

“You’re going to draw me a tattoo idea?” Az looked excited, “Take as long as you want and tell me how much you want for it.”

“Huh?” Teddy said, confused.

“How much you want me to pay you for it.”

“You don’t have to pay me for it.”

“I don’t?”

Teddy shook his head, “No, I am happy to do it. Just give me credit on your MajGram and a cut of the royalties when they start to roll in.”

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but I am happy to do that.”

Hours later Teddy had finished coloring Az’s white outfit for her to re-post by the time he locked up his studio for the night, but he hadn’t started in on her tattoo - he hadn’t been lying to her when he said he wasn’t sure he could get to it until after the new year and the post felt more important. But he had employed tattoos as his inspiration, drawing out a story of transformation with the stylized line art. Male to female, wolf to human, human to dog and an anatomically correct heart over Az’s to power it all. 

The work took slightly longer than he expected as he had been interrupted by an OwlMail from Jason Fischer himself, acknowledging his receipt of Teddy’s contract and asking could he begin some concept sketches right away. Teddy was a little surprised to hear from the WizNet mogul on a Saturday, but he understood the seven-day work week. In fact, before he had figured out his weekly schedule, Teddy had rarely had days off - it wasn’t until he had sat down with Troy and organized his weeks that he allowed himself more time for himself. Or, more recently, time with James. 

The thought alone filled him with warmth. Even though Sunday was his day off, he and James found themselves with more work than they could handle and planned to spend the day working on his couch. Teddy could think of nothing else he’d rather do with his boyfriend on his day off than relax and work on his sofa with James by his side. 

Teddy was still thinking about tattoos later that night while cooking dinner with James. Together they had picked up the ingredients for lasagna along with some breadsticks at the local Italian market. While the layers of meat, cheese, sauce, and pasta baked, he told James about Az’s new ink idea. Sipping on a glass of bubbly white wine that Teddy had picked out solely because the golden label reminded him of James, Teddy relayed their conversation highlights, even going as far as showing Az's posts to him. James didn’t seem too surprised they were trending on social media and, instead, brushed that aside in favor of other points on his mind.

“Tattoos, huh? I know Al got a few right out of school. I thought about getting something Quidditch-related at some point, but I couldn’t commit to just one design. And then getting more than one felt like I was committing to a whole sleeve. And then that just didn’t feel like me. Of course now I’m kinda glad I didn’t get anything. I really don’t want any Quidditch reminders on my body - especially not now that they use those double-permanency charms. But I still think about getting something else from time-to-time. Maybe I will get something someday. Especially now that it’s less likely to end up on the cover of Witch Weekly, or in the tabloid pages. But it still probably would. Could you see me with a tattoo?” Ramble complete, he looked up at Teddy seriously, as if he was really curious.

“I could actually,” but then Teddy imagined James’ skin covered with a tattoo and decided to be honest. “I could see you with one. But I am kinda glad you don’t have one.”

“Oh?” James took a sip of his wine, “why is that?”

“I like the color of your skin. You have a golden vibration that is just so unique and wonderful and warm. If you had a tattoo it would break up that sound is all.”

James smiled, “Have I ever told you how much I love your synesthesia?”

Teddy laughed, “No.” Curiously, he looked up. “You do?”

James nodded enthusiastically. 

“You might be the only one.”

“Now I know that’s a lie,” James’ grin was golden, “I know you have many clients who are grateful for your skills - even if they don’t have a word for why your colors are so on-point. And I know Troy is kinda jealous - even if he will never admit it-”

“He would and has actually,” Teddy smiled thinking of all the times Troy expressed his frustration that he couldn’t see colors the way Teddy did.

“See?” James grinned, “you should really embrace it because it’s like your own private superpower. Kinda like how my dad can talk to snakes.”

“What, being a wizard isn’t enough?” Teddy asked, teasing tone faltering slightly, betraying the underlying seriousness of the question.

James heard it anyway. “You’re always enough. Even if you didn’t have magic or any of it.” He learned forward and pulled Teddy close for a kiss, the bubbles from the wine felt like they were still popping on his lips - the sweetness of his mouth pressing against his lips causing warmth to spread throughout his body. A loud “beep” from the timer they’d set for the lasagna caused them to pull away, but not before James ran his hand through Teddy’s turquoise hair and whispered in his ear, “I love you as you are.”

Teddy was pretty sure the bubbles in his stomach were not caused by the wine. He smiled.

* * *

The next day by the time James returned from his morning run, Teddy was already hard at work. He’d chosen to get up early with James to secure a couple extra hours of sketching time - he had quite a few projects he wanted to get started on. Still in his PJs, he had wrapped himself up like a burrito on the couch, only freeing his hands to sketch in his rune sketchbook. 

He started working on his WizNet anniversary piece first. He sketched the head and torso of a witch, who, he realized, looked alarmingly like Az when he stepped back from it. But instead of giving her a witch’s hat, he adorned her head with the headdress of an Egyptian Sphinx - reinterpreted to incorporate elements of WizNet with interconnected lines to illustrate the connections the platform provided. His instinct was to make those lines blue, but he knew he’d probably create them using ambers and oranges instead to match the WizNet logo. Headdress designed, Teddy moved onto her arms where he created identical tattoos on each shoulder depicting line art of a Sphinx cat amidst some flowers. Teddy gave his model a low cut v-neck and in the center of her cleavage he wrote “celebrating 20 years” in a square box.

Sitting back, he tapped his pencil against his cheek, admiring his work. He found it to be very modern, edgy, and a good blend of technology and contemporary art. Charming some movement into the headress and the “celebrating” box would be simple enough, and, if Jason wanted it, he could infuse the witch with a model’s likeness and charm her to speak, move, or wink. 

Teddy grabbed a piece of parchment beside his sketchbook and began writing up his creative proposal. He felt fairly confident, especially now that he had read and returned the work order contract, that Jason and the WizNet executives would be pleased. He’d have to render it out wholly and run it by Troy and James first for critique, of course - no sense in submitting shoddy work.

He’d gotten started on Al’s restaurant logo when James returned, stripping off his shirt in the living room. Teddy glanced up at him and smiled. 

“Hi Sunshine,” James moved behind Teddy and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his cheek, “miss me, my little burrito?”

“Little? I’ve never heard you complain about my size,” Teddy joked, tilting his head up to snog James warm on the lips. “But of course I did. And just who are you calling Burrito, anyway?”

James laughed, “You, when you’re wrapped up like that. Driving me crazy though - you look so cozy and I’m already burning up over here.” He squeezed Teddy before pulling away.

Teddy laughed, “What, do you want a cooling charm?”

“More like a shower,” James grinned, “care to join me?”

“Of course!” Teddy smiled, “Give me just a minute? I wanna get this idea out.”

Both boys looked down at Teddy’s latest sketch. He’d drawn the outline of the Deathly Hallows. It started out with the standard circle in the middle of a triangle. But instead of drawing the Elder Wand line down the middle, he’d divided the center circle into seven equal wedges. Along the left line of the triangle Teddy had illustrated the word ‘seventh’ and below the triangle he had started laying out the world ‘alliance.’ Beside the sketch Teddy had laid a few notes in the margins - ‘color wheel in the circle spins’ and ‘ask Al if rainbow colors are okay or if he has a preferred palette.’ 

“I think Al is really going to like that,” Teddy could hear the smile in James’ voice, “He might have some notes but I think overall he’s going to be thrilled. Maybe you should make the outline silver and on the inside use greens? I think that he’s also using white and brown in the restaurant renovations too, but I know how you feel about white.” 

Teddy couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he finished writing ‘i-a-n-c-e’, “Thanks, Jamie. That means a lot.” Teddy closed his sketchbook and shrugged himself out of the blankets. Feeling James’ eyes on him, Teddy turned around to snog him soundly.

“What was that for?” James asked when they finally pulled apart, “not that I’m complaining, mind.” James’ golden grin threatened to melt Teddy’s brain. 

“Because I can,” Teddy sincerely teased, before moving towards the bathroom, “last one to the shower is a cold dragon’s egg!” 

“Oi- no you don’t!” James laughed, leaping up to chase Teddy into the other room, trying to catch him or at least slow him down.

The rest of the world dissolved in laughter as James caught Teddy, hugging him close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the longer chapter, I couldn't help myself! I love writing Teddy and James together - they're just so adorable. 
> 
> What did you all think of Az and her plan? Teddy's got a lot of commissions going on right now, that's for sure! The life of a NYC wizarding portrait artist :) What's been your favorite Teddy piece so far? 
> 
> Comment and Kudos are always appreciated. ❤️
> 
> Come hang out on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	26. Unexpected Silver

**Chapter 26 - Unexpected Silver**

Monday morning Teddy awoke to a cold spot beside him where he expected to find a warm James. Rolling over with a groan, he snapped awake when he heard commotion coming from his living room. 

Blinking twice before he got up, he haphazardly pulled a sweatshirt down over his head and grabbed a pair of jeans, stumbling as he tried to pull them on and walk at the same time. He stopped off in the kitchen where he saw a mug of tea brewing next to a half-empty pot of coffee. ‘Thank you James,’ Teddy thought as he grabbed the mug of what looked like Earl Grey and made his way towards the noise.

“Dad-”

“No, James. Do you know that I have reporters from the Daily Prophet on my doorstep asking me for a statement regarding my son’s involvement in the resignation of President Quahog and potential eradication of Rappaport’s Law?” Harry’s voice sounded stern but not angry, Teddy decided.

“Huh?” James sounded genuinely confused in response.

Harry held up something Teddy couldn’t see through the fire.

“MACUSA President stepping down-” James read out loud, “After reporter James Potter broke the news of the President’s sexual transgressions, the pressure has been on to remove Quahog from his chair…” James turned to glance back at Teddy before looking back at his dad. “But, I don’t understand. The trial isn’t over yet. In fact I am supposed to-”

“Apparently the President resigned this morning,” Harry's voice came through serious but with the slightest tint of blue, clearly not as disapproving as he was trying to appear to James, “You’ve created quite the firestorm.”

“I had no idea,” James whispered, almost to himself, before turning to face the fire again. “About the President resigning, I mean. Last Friday he seemed ready to put up every fight. Wonder if they offered him a good deal or something. Or maybe he has other skeletons in his closet I haven’t found yet…”

“James,” Harry’s tone was strong, “why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

“Honestly,” James glanced downward, “I thought you were following. I mean, I was telling the whole world what was going on!”

“I was following,” Harry’s voice was suddenly reassuring, “Your mother and I both. I am very proud of you, but I also hope you know what you’ve started.” Teddy could see the truthful blue vibrations pouring from the fireplace and he knew his godfather wasn’t lying. 

“Of course I do!” James' voice held an edge, “it was you and mum and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron and everyone else in my life who always taught me to fight for what was right. Bloody hell, isn’t that what Gryffindors are supposed to do? Stand up for those that can’t?”

“James, language,” came Ginny’s voice in the background.

“Sorry, mum.” James looked down again before flicking his eyes back up, “actually, not sorry. I think I’m doing the right thing over here. I used my words to stand up for what was right - even if I can’t do that for myself, at least I can do it for somebody else. Those No-Maj women didn’t deserve it, even if Rappaport’s Law wasn’t something to contend with. The whole thing is just plain wrong,” James’ voice was heavy with conviction and Teddy found himself nodding in agreement. “Personally, I think it’s a great thing that the President stepped down - even if I missed that headline. And it should have been mine to publish. But no one called me with the news - looks like WWN got the jump on me with that special tip-off,” James waved his hand in the direction of the headline Harry had put down. Teddy’s eyes followed the movement. “it must have broke while I was on my run this morning. That’s what I get for going out at 6am. You can be sure that won’t happen again.” James looked upset with himself. Teddy fought the urge to wrap him up in his arms and tell him that everything would be alright.

“James,” Harry sighed, “you’re entitled to a life too. I know the challenges of balancing- well it doesn’t rightly matter, I suppose. The point is I don’t think you’re doing something wrong, but I wanted to make sure, that is to say- “

“Your father and I are very proud of you,” Ginny’s face was suddenly in the fire as she interrupted Harry’s ramblings. “He was just concerned about you. We both were a little alarmed when the media was on our doorstep.”

Teddy knew he would be too if reporters were to suddenly show up at his.

“I’m sorry for that mum,” James' voice was quiet, “but I’m not sorry for publishing what I have. I know what I’ve signed on for. I’m okay with it. Mostly. But I don’t like that the Prophet is harassing you because of it.”

“Mostly?” Ginny’s question was quickly drowned out by Harry, “the press is nothing we haven’t dealt with before. We will handle it from our end.”

“You sure?”

Harry nodded, “Sometimes you remind me so much of me, it’s scary.”

James smiled, “There’s a thought.”

“Least you come by it honestly.”

Teddy couldn't help but agree. The Potters were a special breed of troublemakers.

James gave a small laugh, “Well it sounds like I have a new headline to track down and I have the remainder of the trial to deal with anyway - assuming there is still a trial…”

“We will follow you as best we can,” Ginny promised, “but please try to remember to fill us in if something really big happens so we don’t have to hear about it from reporters, alright?”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen this time,” James' voice was solid if slightly whiny, “but I will do my best if I hear anything else big.”

“What could be bigger than the resignation of the President?”

“The repeal of Rappaport’s Law.” Teddy surprised himself by saying it. All three heads turned to look at him. He shrugged, “it’s true.”

And that, it seemed, was enough to put an end to the discussion for the moment.

* * *

After the early morning commotion had died down and James had left for the trial, Teddy finished his tea and headed to his studio, where he was shocked to find Albus Potter waiting on his studio's doorstep. 

“Hey Teddy,” Al greeted him as Teddy unlocked the door, “James not with you?”

Teddy shook his head, “He’s still reporting on the trial. Hi,” he pushed open the door, “how are you? And, please don’t take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?”

Al shook his head, “I’ve been better, I’ve been worse. And don’t worry, I’m not here to steal your couch or cart my brother back off to England or anything.” 

Teddy shot him a look as they both stepped inside.

“What? I’m not!” Al held up his hands briefly and shook his head with a small smile before lowering them to his sides, “I signed up for an exclusive course that’s being taught by Anthony Bourdain. Do you remember him? The wizard who masqueraded himself as a Muggle and traveled the world mastering their cooking techniques before he offed himself? Well, apparently his ghost is still teaching courses at his restaurant here in New York. Scorpius heard about it through his dad and one thing led to another and, well, I needed to get out of England for a bit anyway and it sounded like the ideal break. It was all very last minute, but I’ll be here for the week. Got in by Portkey last night. Scorp booked me this room in midtown at the Four Wands Crossing…” 

As Al continued, Teddy wondered about the Potter boys’ pattern of needing to escape Britain. But then Teddy himself had done the same thing at an age even younger than they had so perhaps it made sense. And he had been sincere in offering Al his couch, even if the other man didn’t have a need for it. Though Teddy shuddered to think how much a hotel room at the Four Wands cost. Could have been worse though, he could have had a room booked at QUAHOG Tower. 

Teddy gave a small smile, “I actually think James will be really glad to see you, we’ll have to do dinner while you’re here for sure. And if you’re still here Friday night, you should come with us to the opening night gala of Ruby's newest art gallery - if you want to see her newest installation, that is. I don’t know how you are for looking at art.” As soon as the invitation was out of his mouth, Teddy almost wished he could take it back, but when he saw Al’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree he knew he’d made the right choice. 

“The PenSave one?” Az’s voice came from the door, “Did you know that’s shaping up to be the social event of the season, Teddy? You’re lucky you got an invite first. But then they sent me one too because apparently I am now a big enough influence to warrant an invitation of my own. Don’t get me wrong, I am so thrilled I surpassed the fifty-thousand mark - my latest post finally pushed me over the edge. And the updated colored piece you sent me is going to, well nevermind-” she cut herself off as she swept past the front door and into the studio, her long purple robes made of floral lace danced behind her and her hair fell in soft waves. Poised as always she gave Teddy a warm smile. “Uh, Teddy,” she said before turning her attention to Al, her eyes amber brown shining brightly, “Please tell me this is your amazing boyfriend that I’ve heard so much about.”

Al laughed, “I can’t claim that title. Just said boyfriend’s brother,” Al held out his hand, “Albus, and you are?”

Az moved to elegantly offer her hand, “Azumi, but you can just call me Az. Most people do.”

Al gave a small laugh and tilted his head a little, “Why shorten it? Azumi is a pretty name on its own.”

Teddy thought that was a little bit of a weird comment, seeing as how Al shortened his own name, but Az’s smile was dazzling as she dropped his hand, “You think so?”

Al nodded as something like resignation flashed across his face, but it passed quickly. Teddy looked back and forth between the two of them. “I’m glad you like how your updated piece turned out,” he told Az, “you’re going to the gallery opening then?”

“Ah, yeah!” Az looked at Teddy like he had lost his marbles, “Wild Hippogriffs couldn’t keep me away.”

Al’s cheeks flushed just slightly. Teddy was convinced he wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t for a slight change in his normally silver vibration. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember Al vibrating anything but dark silver for years- it was nice to see him lighten up a little.

“Az is the social media maven around here,” Teddy explained. Oddly the segue reminded him, “You know, Al - I was working on a sketch yesterday for your restaurant.” Teddy disappeared into his bag and pulled out his sketchbook, flipping it open to the right page. It was getting full - he would need James to show him that rotating spell soon. Propping the book open on the desk, Teddy pressed it forward towards Al, “What do you think?”

Both Al and Az turned to take a look. In Teddy’s opinion the outline of the Deathly Hallows looked even better today - it drew in the eye. The seven equal wedges in the center looked a little like a pizza now that Teddy studied it a second time, but that didn’t seem to register with Al, and he reached out to trace his finger down the edge of the world ‘alliance’, eyes alight with something like gratification. 

“It’s not final, of course,” Teddy supplied, “I want to add color and some movement, but if you approve of the direction I’ll transfer it into the computer and complete it digitally. James said you were using a green color palette - is that true?”

“Yeah,” Al nodded, “it is.”

“Do you like it? Want any changes made?”

“I actually really like it a lot,” Al looked at Teddy, “you nailed the vibe for sure.”

“Good,” Teddy smiled, “I wasn’t 100% sure, but you know. I wanted to take a stab at it.”

Al nodded, “No, it’s good. Way better than the shit my contractor came up with. Bloody hell was that awful. But for this I’m excited to see the final product.”

“Alright, I’ll try to have it done before you leave New York.”

“Oh? How long are you in town?” Az asked, curiosity in her tone.

“Just the week. I’m here for a culinary training with-”

Az’s eyes lit up at that, “Oh, you’re a _chef?_ Do you have a MajGram? We simply need to connect!” She sounded delighted and she reached for her phone. Al looked slightly overwhelmed.

“Well, my manager setup one for my restaurant, but-”

“How about a personal one?” Az offered the solution before Al could finish.

“I do, but I don’t use it much. More active on MuffilatoR if I’m being honest. But it’s @SlytherinAsp.”

“Perfect!” Az gushed as she punched it into her phone, “you are now followed.”

Teddy watched this exchange feeling an odd detachment that he felt could be stemming from his demisexual tendency, but he was fairly certain Az was hitting on Al - in her own way. And Al didn’t seem to be outright rejecting it. Teddy felt like James would be proud of his brother in that moment. 

“Speaking of followers, that reminds me,” Az turned to Teddy, “You surpassed 230 followers this morning. I saw 233 to be exact, when I last checked. A nice jump up-”

“That’s my birthday,” Al said dryly. Both Az and Teddy looked at him.

“What?” he shrugged, “it is.”

“Your birthday is February 33rd? I hate to tell you, Al, but that date doesn’t exist - even on a leap year,” Az looked at Al like he was either slightly thick in the head or he couldn’t make a good joke.

“No, his birthday is March 23rd,” Teddy said softly, committing his new follower count to memory.

Al nodded, “In Europe we put the day first, before the month.” Teddy could tell he was making an effort not to be condescending when explaining the difference.

“Ah, that explains it,” Az looked happy, seemingly oblivious to Al’s tone, “well, you’re climbing slowly but surely Teddy. Eventually you’ll be able to share the page with Jason Fischer-”

 _“Jason Fischer?"_ It was Al’s eyes that lit up this time, “what in the world has he got to do with anything?” He turned to Teddy, “what’s been going on?”

Teddy filled Al in, watching as he processed the news. His jaw didn’t quite drop open, but it threatened to.

* * *

Hours later Teddy was cleaning up after his second client of the day before starting on his canvas for his WizNet 20th anniversary piece when there was a knock on his back alley door. He rarely used that entrance except to take out the trash when needed. Al and Az had left together hours ago and James would have just Apparated in, so Teddy wondered who it could possibly be. Unlocking the door he was surprised to see Amelia and the woman he recognized as Shannon standing in the darkening alley.

“Mr. Lupin,” Amelia formally greeted, “I received your owl-”

“Yes, yes,” Teddy struggled to refrain from biting his lip. “Come in,” he said, ushering in both women with a smile, feeling all the while like he was smuggling contraband at Hogwarts or something. It wasn’t the best feeling. He forced a smile on his face. “How can I help you?” he asked, kindly.

Amelia stepped forward, “Good to see you again, Mr. Lupin. I’m sure you’ve heard of my sister Shannon, but I thought we would come by so you could be formally introduced.”

Shannon stepped forward, her face taking on a much more healthy pink glow from when Teddy had last seen her, dull and lifeless, in the courtroom. She attempted a smile as she held out her hand, but the vibration was a little off to Teddy. “Shannon Ridgewilde, good to meet you,” she nodded toward Amelia, ”my sister has told me a lot about you.”

“Well, hopefully she told you good things,” Teddy said with a small laugh as he shook her hand. He opened his mouth to ask if they would like to sit down somewhere, but it was that exact moment he heard the distinct ‘crack’ of Apparition behind him. “Teddy!”

Teddy felt his heart leap as he wheeled around to see James shove an issue of the Quibbler so close to his face, so close that he could barely make out the words on page, made even more difficult by bright, golden vibrations streaming from James and engulfing the page. “WE DID IT!”

Teddy squinted his eyes to make out the headline, **President Quahog's Resignation Shifts Focus to Rappaport's Repeal**. 

“I worked really hard to get this out by noon today. With the President’s resignation, the MACUSA is going to look at reformation of Rappoport’s Law! For good! And it-” James cut himself off here, lowering the paper as he looked around Teddy for the first time, “Shannon?” he asked surprised, “what are you doing here?”

“James Potter?” Her voice sounded slightly surprised before she laughed, a little drier and more panicked than Teddy thought it should for the news that had just been delivered.

“Mr. Lupin reached out to me earlier this week,” Amelia’s voice drifted over them all, “and with all that’s been happening, I hadn’t wanted to respond. But when my sister told me the news after the trial proceedings, well, I wanted to come by and- I'm not really sure. Maybe it was a half-baked idea,” she smiled softly. “Shannon just wanted to join to see my portrait.”

Teddy wondered if there might be more to it than that, but didn’t say anything on the subject. Instead he offered, “I can go get it if you’d like to see, Shannon,” he nodded in her direction before turning to Amelia, “You sure you want to share it before we add the animation charms?” He didn’t exactly know why he was asking except that he wanted some kind of verbal clearance from the witch. But it didn’t matter anyhow, she only nodded in reply.

Teddy moved into his portrait room to collect her painting. He could hear the sisters profusely thanking James behind him as he moved across his studio. Ignoring the mess still on his work station from the WizNet project, Teddy smiled softly to himself as he found Amelia’s portrait and carried it back to his kitchenette.

“-nothing is official yet I’m afraid,” James was saying, “but Rappaport’s appears to be in the repeal process, and all the Mugg-, erm, victims are not going to be charged further. Meanwhile Quahog is avoiding the press while his criminal trial is pending,” He looked pointedly at Shannon when he spoke and she nodded as Teddy sat Amelia’s portrait down on the table by the doorway.

“Oh, Teddy - it’s as good as I remember it,” Amelia sounded as impressed as she had the first time he’d shared his work with her, “I still love all the rose bushes in the garden and the greenhouse in the distance…” her voice trailed off, turning back in the direction of her sister.

But Shannon was still talking to James, “I know we didn’t get a chance to really talk, one-on-one, much, before or during the trial and all, but thank you,” her voice sounded slightly hollow, like she didn’t have any energy left to give. Teddy watched as she squared her shoulders and looked James in the eyes again, “But if you hadn’t figured it out about my, our,” she quickly nodded towards her sister and back again, “blood, and lineage, and whatever else, I think I might have been- well I was preparing to be put to death. Which was hard to square when I didn’t really feel like I did anything wrong,” she paused and Teddy could see her eyes well up with tears, watching as she tried to collect herself to push through. “I really didn’t do anything wrong. I thought I was in love. I thought I was so lucky to be involved with this man who made all these false promises. It’s awful to remember. I have to live with that.” Teddy could feel deep dark vibrations peeling off her in waves and a tear rolled down her cheek. She did not move to wipe it but rather continued to stare at James. "But if you hadn’t been there to put it all together…” her voice trailed off.

James offered her a softer version of his signature charming grin. “Just doing my job,” he said with a quiet confidence that made Teddy wonder if he was trying to calm her down and reassure her. Perhaps it was a blend of both. 

“I think it’s considerably more than that,” Amelia’s voice floated across the room, “you saved my sister. And three other women. And, if they repeal that god-awful law, you’ll have saved my parents. We owe a lot to you.”

Teddy smiled at that, feeling pride settle in his chest.

“I don’t know how you two know each other,” Amelia pointed from James to Teddy, “but I’m glad you’re here. So I can tell you thank you in private. Both of you, I suppose. I don’t know if I can, if we can,” she waved her hand loosely towards her sister before starting up again. “I am losing my magic bit by bit, my sister is apparently immune to Obliviate, our parents aren’t allowed to be in love, and our youngest sister can perform magic without a wand - but can’t control it. We’re a mess, a right mess, but a loving mess, and maybe, someday soon, before my disease takes me away, we’ll be allowed to embrace the other half of what should rightfully be our culture.” Her eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. “Words can’t describe what you have done for us. I don’t think you even realize-”

Teddy nodded, as she reached up to her eyes. His heart went out to her and her sister as he looked over at James. He looked a little stunned but seemed to recover quickly, walking up to where Amelia and Teddy both stood, Shannon behind him. 

“You know,” he started, “I don’t think you understand just how much I needed to do this. Not just for you, but for me too. And for you, Teddy. And for wizards everywhere, if I am being honest. There’s still a mess to clean up, but let me handle that - you already survived the worst of it.”

Teddy looked over at James’ face, determined and strong. The amazing display of bravery and self-sacrifice. It took all of Teddy’s willpower to not run over and sweep him up into a victory kiss. After all, here was Prince James conquering the villain of the story, just like Teddy knew he always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happened in this chapter - Quahog's resignation, trial fallout and Al is in NYC! What did you think? 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are better than cake!
> 
> Find me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	27. Green Offerings

**Chapter 27 - Green Offerings**

After the Ridgewilde sisters finally departed, with more “thank yous” and a promise to James they would give an exclusive interview should Rappaport’s get repealed, James asked Teddy if he would like to meet up with Al for a celebratory dinner. 

“Apparently he’s in town for some kinda cooking seminar!” James informed him, excitement in his voice.

“I know,” Teddy smiled, “he stopped by here earlier this morning looking for you.”

“Hm, he did?” James asked thoughtfully, “He knew I was at the trial though. Are you sure it wasn’t to see you?”

“Hm,” Teddy contemplated it a moment, “maybe? That would be very Slytherin of him.”

“Hey,” James pouted, “that’s usually my line!” 

Teddy leaned over and kissed James’ bottom lip in mock-apology before disappearing into his studio to clean up and move his WizNet piece so it could dry properly. He could have easily cast a drying charm over it, but he got the feeling that he should let the paint dry naturally like his portraits.

Walking back into his kitchenette, Teddy caught James casting glamours on himself. 

"What are you doing?!" he asked without thinking, not intending it to sound accusatory, even if it came out that way a bit. He was more surprised than anything really.

“Is it so bad that I want to go out with my boyfriend and my brother and not be recognized?” He turned to Teddy with platinum blond hair and Teddy bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing - he barely recognized James like that. 

“No, but at this rate we won’t even recognize you. Also, do you think you could have picked another color?” The vibrations from the bright blond hair much too close to white for Teddy's comfort.

“What? Don’t like me as a blond?” James tilted his head with a small grin, his voice playful.

“Hmmm,” Teddy pretended to think about it, “how about hair so dark it looks like red velvet with silky strands I can run my hands through when it sticks all over the place?” He grinned. 

“But - that’s my hair,” James looked slightly confused. 

“Exactly,” Teddy grinned. “I love your hair. I love everything about you. I don’t want you to change your appearance. But I do understand why you might feel as if you feel you have to.”

“But,” James smiled but his eyes looked slightly uncertain, “what if we get mobbed?”

“Then I get to play your knight in shining armor and whisk you away,” Teddy said sincerely with a small smile. He knew the pressure was getting to James, but he wasn't going to let James hide who he was again, especially just so the three of them could get some dinner. After all, Teddy knew first hand that a simple glamour wouldn't fix the bigger issues. Hiding now would only encourage him to do it more often. He didn’t want to see James fall into the habit, it would lead to a whole new set of problems anyway.

He was quite relieved when they left his studio hand-in-hand, Teddy’s hair turquoise and James without any glamours.

They met up with Al outside Four Wands Crossing before going back to the French-style bistro in Greenwich Village where, true to James’ prediction, Al did seem enamored by the food they ordered. The risotto was as sublime as Teddy remembered it being the first time around, and James was clearly excited to see his brother in person.

“I still can’t believe you’re here and didn’t tell me earlier, you git!” James chastised, but with little actual anger behind it, “how long are you in town?”

“Yeah, well,” Al conceded in between bites of ratatouille, “it was all kinda last minute. And you had a lot going on.”

“Still, you could have told me!” James smiled, “it would have been nice to know. How are you, really?”

“I wish everyone would stop asking me that,” Al muttered, looking down.

“Who’s asking besides me?” James asked, curiously.

“Well, Teddy did this morning,” Al pointed out.

“Hey, you can’t count that!” James sounded appalled.

“Why not?” Teddy asked, looking at Al with an equally confused expression.

“Because,” James smiled, waving his fork offhandedly in Teddy’s direction, “clearly we share one brain.”

Somehow, that caused all three men to laugh.

“So did the president really just up and resign?” Al asked.

“Yeah, a bit of a shock that,” James answered, looking a little exasperated. “Personally I think Percival Graves must have paid him off or cut him a deal or something, but I know better than to run that headline without proof.”

Al nodded sagely. Teddy agreed, he couldn’t imagine what starting that rumor would do. 

“How did dad take it?” Al made it sound almost like an afterthought, but Teddy knew he was too crafty for that. 

James waved his hand, “Pretty well. Better than expected.” He glanced over at Teddy before continuing, “he gave me a firecall this morning - I guess prophet reporters showed up-“

Al grimaced, “Ugh- the worst.”

“Yeah,” James gave him a small smile, “luckily mum was there to help handle it.”

After dinner Al went back to his hotel room to sleep off the Floo-lag, leaving James and Teddy in the middle of Wizarding Greenwich with the rest of the night free. James asked if they could go get ice cream.

“Sure,” Teddy readily agreed. “Want to head to Madam Milkin’s? Is fro-yo okay?” he asked referencing the wizarding yogurt shop that was a favorite in the village. Teddy preferred it for their forever-hot-fudge topping, just one of their more than 101 different toppings which ranged from cake and cookies to sprinkles to fruit, granola, and everything else in between. He couldn't wait to see James' face once he was forced to decide which of the fifty different flavors to order. 

Walking over to the frozen yogurt shoppe, James reached out for Teddy’s hand. Interlacing their fingers, Teddy wondered how it was possible to feel so proud of someone. His love for the younger man seemed to settle into his bones, infuse into his marrow, and down to the very makeup of his cells, causing him to feel warm all over. Teddy wondered if it was possible for a Metamorphmagi’s cells to be physically changed by emotion. After all, his cells physically changed to his will.

He was still contemplating this complex question as he piled his combo of Triple Chocolate and Chocolate Milk fro-yo high with ever-hot-fudge, chocolate cookies, brownie pieces, crumbles of Cauldron Cake, and a scoop of chocolate sprinkles for good measure. He was thinking about his unique molecular structure physically adapting to love while he debated adding Chocoballs or the mini Chocolate Wands or both - he ended up adding in two Chocoballs. He was still thinking about it all as he watched James order a mix of Cookies-n-Cream, Cereal Milk, and Red Velvet, cringing when the concoction was topped with Jelly Slugs. 

"What?" he protested at Teddy's odd look as he piled them on. "They taste better after they're all hard from the cold!"

“Oh, I know all about how you like things _hard,"_ Teddy teased back. He felt the joke could have been better but he was happy he got it out. 

James just gave him a wink and continued to pile on chunks of cookie dough and graham cracker crumbs for good measure. Teddy handed over the dragots for the sweet treats and they found a place to sit - a dark, quiet corner with a comfy looking booth. 

James sat along the back wall, Teddy on the side, a pile of soft pillows between them in the corner. Teddy was snapped out of thoughts when James fell onto them like they were at home. “Hey Ted-ster, wanna go home and color after this?” he asked, his lips sticky with frozen yogurt. 

Teddy, having been a bit too distracted by the sweet treat current lying on the pillows at his side to listen properly, leaned forward to find out if they tasted just as sweet. The kiss was short but warm before Teddy pulled away, still somewhat confused, but now with a smile. "Huh? _Color? "_

James grinned, “Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice those two Wizarding coloring books on your bookshelf. One is even Quidditch-themed!” James sounded way too excited about the prospect before a thought occurred to him, “Wait - don’t tell me you’ve colored every page?”

Teddy shook his head, dumbfounded. He had almost completely forgotten about those two books. Troy and Jenn had given him them for Christmas six or seven years back when the books were reaching their height of popularity. The first one was themed to Wizarding schools from around the world - “See we bought this one because Hogwarts and Ilvermorny are both in it,” Jennifer had sounded excited when he unwrapped the gift. Tucked behind they had also wrapped a Quidditch-themed one. Teddy was still unsure why they had picked it out for him other than they knew he used to play.

Teddy actually had a third book as well, magical creatures themed, that he’d picked out for himself when the craze first started. He’d colored over half of the pages and left it on his studio bookshelf. The books had ended up being really useful when Teddy was mastering his own animation charms, as the images were charmed to move once every single segment had been filled in with color. Teddy spent hours covering all the white spaces, usually with paint, and watching the black lines come to life, finding it all to be very inspiring.

Teddy realized James was waiting for an answer. “No, definitely not,” he laughed, “that would be a task. Even for me.”

James grinned wide and golden at him, and Teddy didn’t know if it was possible to die from happiness. The idea that James wanted to do something so simple with him made him irrationally happy. So much so he wasn’t sure if he could believe it. “But honestly, do you really want to go home and _color?”_ he asked again. Teddy didn’t realize he was speaking until the words were out of his mouth.

“Well maybe not _just_ color - though they say that’s also a stress reliever, right? And we know how well those work for me,” he winked at Teddy and took another lick of fro-yo from his spoon, looking incredibly sexy and sweet, reminding Teddy of the sweet sticky kiss they’d shared not minutes before which led to sticky thoughts of a whole other variety. Teddy blushed.

“But, you know, ever since I saw those books on my second night on your couch, I sorta thought it would be something fun to do. And then I had the idea again after you told me you had synesthesia. But then I just, kinda, didn’t think about it for a bit,” Teddy thought James looked a little sheepish at this, but he never dropped his smile, “but honestly conjuring a fire, talking and coloring on your couch, or even just me watching you color on your couch, would make anything else a bonus.” 

“Oh you-” Teddy kissed James playfully, “why are you so perfect?”

James gave him an odd lopsided grin, “I’m not, but it makes me happy that you think I am.”

“You’re serious?” Teddy asked, referring to the coloring but he couldn’t be sure exactly why James nodded. But either way they ended the night back at Teddy’s flat, a roaring fire in his fireplace and Teddy looking for where in the hell he’d left his case of markers.

“Uh, Teddy?” James gave him an odd look, twirling his wand lazily behind his leg, _“Accio-markers."_

A large midnight blue case came flying fast from the bedroom. James, clearly not expecting Teddy’s ‘markers’ to be such a massive item that was now flying at speed towards him, stepped to the right dodging it as he had so many Bludgers in the past. Teddy was not so lucky as he now found himself directly in the path of a many marker missile. On instinct he reached out to block it like a Quaffle and the speed of the impact pushed him back a bit. James was behind him in a second. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah. I've still got my keeper reflexes.” Teddy gave him a quick kiss as if to prove it, before cracking open the top of the case and looking down at his rarely used wizard markers. They had been a gift from Troy for his birthday the year they’d become friends: Troy had missed Teddy’s birthday because Teddy had refused to share the date with him. When he learned that he’d missed the occasion, he made a call to Amanuensis Quills and put in a special order of Charmarkers - their 200-count-case, made-to-order, each marker charmed with the ‘ever-color’ charm and enchanted with the capacity to be either matte or metallic depending on which way you twisted the cap. As an added bonus, pressing on the metal end of the marker changed the width of the tip to one of four different sizes: fine, brush, bold, or chisel. 

When he’d first been gifted them, Teddy had been so excited and used the Charmarkers for multiple projects, but when he opened his own studio he found his work projects didn't use them very much. Peering into the case the slivers of colors that reflected back up at him from around the black labeling called out like a soft medley. He’d forgotten just how content looking at a bunch of quality art supplies could make him.

Setting the markers down, Teddy watched as James flipped through the Quidditch book, stopping on a page featuring an ornate rendering of the American Quidditch slogan “A Game Above All. Above All a Game.” the scrolling bubble font illustrated into the center top most goal post and the other two flanked it right and left. A background of intricately illustrated Quidditch balls covered the remainder of the white space. “Think I’ll do this one,” he flipped through a few more pages absentmindedly, “But the other book had a cool Gryffindor one...”

“I can do the Gryffindor one if you want to do the Quidditch one?” Teddy offered, “or vice versa.”

“Oh Godric - you’re a Hufflepuff till the end, huh?” James teased.

“Guilty,” Teddy said, but he didn’t get to say anything more before James’ lips covered his own. 

Teddy lost all track of time and nearly whined when James finally pulled away. “Damn, Teddy - too much of that and we won’t get any of these done,” he laughed.

“Would that really be such a bad thing?” Teddy teased with a grin. 

“Never,” James kissed him again, “definitely not.”

The art supplies sat abandoned for a while after that.

* * *

Teddy woke up the next morning to a note where James had slept, wrapped in his arms, the night before. As he reached out for the paper, he wondered just what James had to tell him that couldn't have waited until they saw each other later in the day. James' distinct scrawl read:

Turning it over curiously, Teddy saw a fully colored and animated Hufflepuff crest from the wizarding schools coloring book. Admiring the badger in the center of the crest, which had been colored with the traditional Hufflepuff yellow and grey and was currently turning around in circles, his eyes noticed the golden filigree on the outside which James had colored in with a fair amount of Gryffindor red. Teddy smiled as he remembered the unique blend of love and laughter that had literally colored Teddy’s world the previous night. In the end they had done a little coloring, but Teddy couldn’t remember James starting on this page. Allowing himself to revel in the warm memories for a bit, he wondered if James had done it that morning before he’d left. The thought brought a smile to Teddy’s face as he checked his phone and started his day.

He ended up having two cancellations come in overnight for later in the week, so he sent off an OwlMail to the Roche’s inquiring if they would like either available slot. Marie was due to come in for her first portrait session just after the new year but that didn’t mean he couldn’t complete her parent’s portion.

Once they replied they would take his open Wednesday slot, however, Teddy immediately regretted offering it as Jason Fischer’s secretary fire-called him on that morning. Least she hadn’t caught him before he was dressed. 

“Jason will be in the city tomorrow. He would like to meet with you to see your progress. Will 3pm work with your schedule?” Again, like the last time she called, it wasn’t really a question. The tight turn around gave rise to some anxiety but Teddy couldn’t really afford to say no, so he bit his tongue and sent off a second OwlMail to the Roche’s explaining that he’d accidentally double booked himself and could they please consider taking his other open slot?

Following the trademark OwlMail ‘whoosh’ that meant his message had sent, Teddy clicked his phone closed and let it slip to the floor.

He found himself even more anxious over the wizard’s second visit than his first, and in the end he ended up clearing out his calendar on both Tuesday and Wednesday, working on the anniversary piece on Tuesday morning before calling Az and asking her to go shopping with him in the evening. He hoped she would be able to pick out something to make him look more presentable for this second meeting. 

What he didn’t count on was James taking some time off from the continued Rappaport’s repeal proceedings and camping out at Teddy’s studio instead, scribbling away on parchment while alternating glances between Teddy and his phone. Every few minutes he would sigh and run his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated with something.

“You ok?” Teddy asked, taking a break to place his hand behind James' shoulder and rub small circles on his back.

“Yeah, just a bit of writer's block, I suppose.”

“Well you have been producing content rather quickly,” Teddy smiled down at him, “everyone needs a break now and again-”

“Except I don’t really believe in writer’s block. Most of the time it’s born from needing to write about something I don’t fully understand, and all I really need to do is look it up and research it and then it will usually come to me. But I guess not this time,” he frowned slightly down at his parchment before looking up at Teddy and smiling again, “but that’s okay. I think. It’ll all come back. It always does. I just don’t have the time to wait right now.”

Teddy looked over at his WizNet Anniversary piece. He hadn’t had artist’s block but he could relate to the feeling of not having the time to make it exactly how he envisioned it. “I think I get that,” he told James sincerely, nodding back down at him before glancing over at his painting, “Jason Fischer’s coming back _tomorrow-”_

“That explains a lot.” 

Teddy laughed, “I suppose. I asked Az to meet at Manhattan Main so she could help me pick out an outfit. Why don’t you come with us?”

James looked excited at being invited but then looked back at his work, “I want to, but I really should try to finish this,” he sighed, “you know, work…”

“So should I,” Teddy smiled and tried to twist his arm, “but I would really like you to come. I need a second opinion. Plus, wasn’t Al saying he wanted to see Manhattan Main during dinner last night? Invite him to come. We’ll get food or something after.”

“May I remind you what happened the last time we went shopping at Manhattan Main?” James' eyes looked slightly clouded.

“You mean besides receiving VIP-treatment at every store we went into?” Teddy asked with a laugh. 

James smiled in response, “Yeah, that’s true.”

“Say you’ll come?” Teddy kissed his cheek.

“I’ll think about it,” James said, but the bright blue vibration radiating from the look in his eyes told Teddy he was already sold on the idea.

Sure enough, as the sun was setting, Teddy and James Side-Alonged to Manhattan Main. Az was already waiting for them, her hair half up, secured with a glittery green bow, and styled in waves. She was giving off bright waves of orange that Teddy could only describe as 'excitement,' the colorful emotion in direct conflict with the tea-length forest green robes she was wearing, as he and James made their way over to her in front of Ebbingdales. She was busy chatting away with Al, who was still wearing his chef’s robes. Clearly James had found the time to invite his brother.

“-do you think you’ll need help managing your page?” Teddy heard Az ask Al as they approached. 

“I don’t rightly know yet, but I know where to find you,” Teddy thought he could hear a bit of Al's trademark calculating tone, which had definitely been absent since Al's hasty late-night firecall the night Rose had proposed. “Hey guys,” he called to Teddy and James as they approached.

“Hiya Al,” James greeted his brother warmly, “how was day two of class?”

Al seemed to think about this for a moment. “Inspiring,” he finally settled on, his eyes brighter than Teddy had seen them in a long while. “Lots of new ideas.”

“That’s great!” James encouraged, “Feel like you’re back at Hogwarts yet?” 

Al laughed, shaking his head, “Hogwarts was never like this. Unless you count potions, but cooking is way more creative.”

“Is it?” Teddy asked, “because I think there’s like three things I can cook and all of them involve some kind of pasta. But I can follow the recipe required for potions. That’s more like baking a cake.”

James’ eyes lit up at that, “Baking a cake? You can bake?! Why didn’t I know this? Teddy, all these talents you’re hiding.”

Al groaned, “Ugh - excuse me if I don’t really want to hear about Teddy’s hidden ‘talents’.”

Teddy let out a coughing laugh at that and surprisingly it was Az who reached out to pat him on the back to stop the fit. Looking up at her, Teddy composed himself. “Thanks for helping me with this, Az,” he said in advance of their shopping venture.

“Oh-no! I am forced to go shopping with my boss, however will I survive?” her sarcasm was laid on fairly thick. As she joked with Teddy, she indicated towards James with a nod, "Are you going to introduce me?"

Teddy could feel it as his cheeks flushed slightly, he worked to pull back the scarlet from the blush as he motioned with his hands. “Azumi this is James, my mysterious boyfriend you’ve heard so much about. James, this is Azumi - it’s all thanks to you that I met her at all.”

“Well, that’s quite the introduction,” Az held out her hand with a warm smile, “nice to finally meet you, James.”

“I am glad to meet you as well,” shaking her hand, James smiled his charming grin, ”Teddy has nothing but glowing things to say about you. And I see you’ve met my younger brother already, so he’s got the jump on me there. Can’t have that happening too often.”

Az laughed as Al shot a glare James’ way. Teddy watched as James’ grin flipped back to its natural golden glow.

“Well, shall we?” Teddy pulled on the front door of the department store, and the group moved inside.

Inside, Christmas decor adorned every inch of the store. A large Christmas tree stood well over three stories tall in the center atrium. Curved moving staircases wrapped upwards like a column to transport guests up, down, and throughout the store. Fairy lights danced up and down the tree, creating a glittery glow as the group ascended to the wizard’s department on the second floor. 

Shopping late on a Tuesday afternoon was very different from the Black Friday crowds. Save for the occasional patron, the four of them mostly had the store to themselves. Immediately throwing herself into her assignment for the day, Az fashioned herself Teddy’s personal shopper and began sizing him up. “Should we keep your style or should we change it up a little?” she asked, an excited glint in her eye as she looked him up and down.

Teddy resisted biting his lip, “You’re the fashion maven here. Whatever you think is best.”

“Hey, Az?” 

“Hm?” she wheeled around at Al’s soft voice. 

“Do you think, since, you know, Ruby’s Gallery show- I didn’t bring any dress robes with me. Didn’t know I would need them. Somebody didn’t tell me,” his voice getting louder and more confident with every word, shooting a minor glare in James’ direction.

James threw up his hands up with a laugh. “Don’t blame that on me!” he looked over at Teddy, “I only just found out about it. And I didn't even know you were going to bloody be in town, let alone coming with us!”

“So, you both need something too?” Az said, looking over at James who shrugged.

“Sure, do your worst,” James challenged, glint in his eye. “Least I don’t have any tattoos I want to keep covered-”

“James!” Al’s voice carried a strong warning.

“Oh! You have tattoos? I was just telling Teddy those were having a moment on MajGram. He’s agreed to draw something out for me,” she glanced over at Teddy who nodded. “What have you got?”

“Maybe someday I’ll let you find out,” Al replied, a glint in his eye.

Az laughed, “As promising as _that_ sounds, that does not help me to know what to avoid here so they don’t show.”

Al waved it off, “it’ll be fine,” he murmured looking down, suddenly very interested in the table full of sweaters in front of him.

If Az was truly put off by this, she didn’t appear to let it bother her. She was clearly in her element as she enthusiastically began pulling items for all three men, starting with several jewel-toned robes for Teddy to try.

“Here,” she said, passing him three hangers of robes, “try these to start. They’ll work well with your skin tone and dirty-blond hair color.”

Nearby Al shot Az an odd look as she moved to pass off two more hangers to him. “Why would that matter?” he asked very directly, “Teddy can have any hair color or skin tone he wants.”

Az gave him a weird look before glancing over at Teddy, who nodded and shrugged but didn’t offer an explanation.

“Um, okay,” Az started, “anyone can change their hair, I’ll grant you that. I mean the Marcus Flint Salon is down the street. Or buy some wizard-hair-dye at Wizgreens...”

Al shook his head, “Not quite what I meant, but okay.” He glanced over at Teddy clearly confused but didn’t say anything more. 

In the end Teddy settled on a jewel toned midnight blue robes with bronze stitching. They had a slightly more traditional cut than the robes he wore last time, and many more pockets on the inside. The lining was a jewel tone purple paisley pattern that swirled and shimmered whenever it hit the light and made Teddy smile - the vibration had reminded him of what it felt like when he was mixing paints.

“Feeling more confident now?” Az asked him with a smile, “not that you ever had reason to be nervous in the first place.” 

“No?” Teddy said with a laugh, as he made his purchase, “glad one of us thinks so.”

“Two of us think so!” James shouted from across the store, causing Teddy to laugh out loud.

* * *

Jason Fischer arrived at ELupin Studios on Wednesday, promptly at 3pm this time, with only his security wizard in tow. He looked much as Teddy remembered - sharp blue eyes catching Teddy’s attention first, shining brightly from behind thin rimmed rectangular glasses. The wizard’s skin still held its dewy, orange tan glow, but it felt slightly more toned down from the first time Teddy had seen him. Either that or Teddy had gotten used to it. He wore a dark blue sweater that looked like it was hand-knit by fairies themselves, the fabric had a glow like silk and the knit was woven so tightly it was barely perceptible, beneath brown robes that also must have been imported directly from Madam Malkins, London, but instead of billowing behind him, these robes stayed very close to his frame. Even in his new robe, Teddy still felt slightly inadequate.

“Welcome back,” Teddy offered Jason Fischer his hand, “thank you for taking the time to come and see me.”

“Oh, I couldn’t wait to see what you’ve created for me,” the other wizard replied, shaking Teddy’s hand briefly, but strongly, before he dropped it. “I was passing through New York on my way to London and thought I would pay you a visit.”

“London?” Teddy asked, trying to hide his surprise. Nobody had informed him of that detail.

Jason nodded, “Yes. I am working on a joint venture with Tosca Musk. She is developing a new platform for wizards to share video content - tWitch, she’s calling it. She brought me on to be the face of the brand,” he gave a small laugh here before continuing, “neither she nor her brother would benefit if it got out that they are actually magic. At least not until this Rappaport’s mess is cleared up here in the States.” He looked directly at Teddy now, “I trust your discretion on that bit of information,” the seriousness of his tone sent shivers down Teddy’s spine. 

“Absolutely,” he reassured, fully aware of the army of lawyers the man was capable of unleashing on Teddy if he broke his silence. “The venture sounds intriguing,” he offered, fishing for something to say to fill the silence. 

“It is quite the endeavor, making the connection of all wizardkind a reality. But, as they say, anything worth doing...” Jason’s voice seemed to fade away as he waved his hand in a move that came off as absentminded but Teddy thought might be well-practiced.

“But enough about the future, let’s see what you have for me now.” More demand than request, Teddy fought the urge to tug on the hem of his sleeves of his new robe as he moved to lead Mr. Fischer back to his portrait room.

The square piece was hard to miss. At 60”x60” Teddy had set it up on his right side wall, casting a levitation charm so it had floated at eye-level. Even this close up, Teddy found he was still very pleased with how the piece was coming along. If Jason decided to walk out with it today, or demanded that he had to scan it digitally for any additional changes, Teddy decided he could live with it. The witch in the center, now charmed to wink, did so just then - almost as if she knew the wizard who’d commissioned her was standing right there in front and watching intently. But she had not been infused with a full personality, it was a simple animation charm that caused the movement. 

“Well, this is great progress, Teddy,” Jason’s face gave off a slightly blue tinge so Teddy could tell he wasn’t lying. “Very clever how you incorporated our logo as her tattoos. The cool undertone tones of her skin really make it stand out.”

Slightly surprised by the last comment, Teddy didn’t think Jason would have been able to tell a cool tone from a warm one, he pulled his thoughts together. “I’m pleased you like it,” he said rather formally, “do you have any notes for me?”

“I very much like the direction,” Jason continued on as if he hadn't really heard Teddy, yet answering his question all the same. “I must say you are full of surprises, Teddy. I knew you were the right man for the job.” He said this like Teddy had had scores of competition. “In fact, when this project wraps, tWitch is looking for an art director. How would you like to come work for me?”

Teddy’s mouth dropped open and his hair threatened to turn bright green. With work, he managed to close his mouth and keep the roots of his hair in check. “In-” Teddy swallowed before trying again, “Work for you, as an art director, in London?” he knew his cadence came off choppy.

“Yes,” Jason let on a small laugh in a way that only someone in his position could, as if amused by Teddy’s confusion. “We are going to need someone sooner than later.”

Working for Jason Fischer and Tosca Musk in London. Was this really happening? Teddy’s momentary excitement was overtaken by conflict, and he felt like he had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn’t some kind of joke. The thought of moving back home flashed in front of his eyes. His initial reaction was repulsion at the idea, but he fought that down as he thought of James and the repulsive feeling was quickly replaced with an odd sense of hope that took hold in his chest and refused to let go. He wouldn’t have to leave James when he eventually left New York. They could return to London together. Teddy couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “It’s certainly something to strongly consider,” he conceded.

Jason huffed out a laugh, “I don’t expect an answer immediately. We’d have to draw up a contact anyway and you still have this piece to finish, of course. But do think about it, Teddy. Your talents could be doing so much more.”

Teddy could barely remember the rest of Jason’s visit, only that he left after getting Teddy to promise to deliver his completed piece one week before Christmas and the offer still spinning around in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happened this chapter - hope you enjoyed the extra sweetness.  
> Al being in NYC is the best :D I also love when James springs something unexpected on Teddy. They're so perfect together.  
> What did you guys think of this chapter? Do you think Teddy will take Jason's offer?
> 
> Kudos and Comments make me smile as much as ice cream <3
> 
> Find me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/


	28. Aqua Amplitude

**Chapter 28 - Aqua Amplitude**

On Friday, Teddy thought his phone was going to blow up in his pocket from all the notifications he was getting. He was torn between turning them off and letting them chime. He’d never had so much activity and, to his surprise, he kind of found himself enjoying the idea of all the attention. He didn’t dare check them though, not wanting to know how much controversy Az and his co-created transformation piece was generating, even if it was promising. It was her posting combined with the fact that he had sent off what he believed would be his completed WizNet anniversary piece that morning that Teddy found himself thinking of the day as an unquestionable success.

He hoped it would bleed over into the night.

It was the day of Ruby's gallery opening, so Teddy Apparated home to meet up with James before they both headed out to join Troy and Jennifer for dinner. He had spent some time the night before wrapping up their Christmas presents. Teddy had purchased a small set of rare pigments for Troy off WizNet. He had selected them very specifically, and he was excited to see what Troy thought. For Jennifer he’d painted his official WizNet Anniversary design on one of Dresden’s Dutiful Decanters - the premier Wizarding reusable bottle, filters and purifying charms standard. Teddy thought she would appreciate being one of the first to see it besides the executives at WizNet. In addition, as a gift for them both, he had rendered a version of his Thanksgiving sketch of them to use as their Owl announcements. He and James had decided to wait until Christmas to exchange gifts which suited Teddy just fine - he needed the extra time to complete his and basically everyone else's gifts this year. He had barely finished Troy and Jenn’s in time.

“Teddy!” James’ voice sounded happy when Teddy materialized in his living room. Before he could orientate himself, James’ lips were on his, snogging him senseless. It was a nice way to be welcomed home, Teddy decided he could get used to coming home to this every day. 

With a reluctant groan he pulled away, "Too much of that and we'll be late." He smiled wide at James. "Plus," he added after glancing down at his old robes and noticing all the small traces of paint on the hem, "I still need to go change."

“Never change for me, Ted-ward,” James joked. In response Teddy changed his nose shape and morphed his hair bright green. "You know what I mean!" he admonished with a laugh, "never change who you are."

Teddy laughed before pulling James in for another quick snog that James happily joined in, bright green hair be damned. Stepping back James’ eyes lit up as he looked Teddy up and down. “So, do you want some help outta those robes?” he asked with a sly smile.

Teddy laughed, “I am tempted to say yes, but then we’ll never leave.”

James smiled, “True.”

Teddy stepped back and took his first good look at James since arriving, really taking in his wide open black robes lined with maroon on the inside. They were cut slim to his body but tapered out slightly at the bottom. Underneath he wore a matching maroon v-neck sweater that looked extremely soft and a collared black shirt under that, one button remaining open to show off his skin. The entire look was effortlessly semi-formal, and the dark color was silent to Teddy while the red offered a nice energetic vibration by contrast. Seeing James look so good in the outfit that Az had picked out, Teddy suddenly wished he had had her shop for him as well. Quickly he took a mental inventory of his closet for something that would compliment it. 

In the end, he settled on a grey robe with a soft swirling pattern that was lined with royal blue on the inside. Teddy had reached for his black Henley to layer underneath, but he spied a couple paint stains and quickly changed his mind in favor of his grey sweater instead. Facing the front closure over his grey sweater, he morphed his hair back to turquoise and his nose to his proper shape. He instantly felt a little calmer and resolved to try to enjoy himself for the night.

He felt like he’d been doing a lot of thinking lately: about James, the trial, Jason Fischer’s offer... But that’s all he was doing about it - a lot of thinking. He didn’t really want to think about moving away from Troy and Jenn when they were finally going to have a baby. But then, on the other hand, he didn’t want to think about James leaving New York either. He felt like he didn't quite grasp what he wanted and couldn't shake the thought that he should by this point, so he wasn't quite ready to bring it up yet. The whole mess of what to do left his stomach all in knots.

He had meant what he said when he told James that oceans and borders didn’t matter much to him. Not since the moment they had officially become a couple. He would make them work no matter what. But he couldn’t stop the swell of sadness in his chest at the thought of James going back to England. Luckily he didn’t have to worry about that tonight.

Teddy pulled James close and Side-Alonged them both, their bodies squeezing together through space before being deposited at the Apparition point down the street from Lumos & Nox. After a debate about where to meet for dinner, Troy had suggested they just go back to their old standby. They’d invited Al and Az, but both had declined the dinner invitation: they would join them later on at the party, Al’s session didn’t get out until late and Az had said she had prior plans. Teddy wasn’t sure if he entirely believed her but shrugged it off all the same. 

Walking through the bitter air towards the restaurant, James pulled Teddy close and ran his hand through Teddy’s turquoise hair, pushing it down. 

“What?” Teddy looked down at James, who shrugged.

“It was sticking up all over the place,” he explained.

“You mean like yours?”

James just smiled, “Mine is a lost cause, I think.” He ran his hand through his hair and flashed Teddy his trademark PR winning grin that Teddy recognized from the cover of Witch Weekly. He didn’t see that fake grin so much anymore and butterflies burst through his stomach at the thought. He bit the inside of his mouth all the same to keep himself from smiling.

“Yeah, but in your case it adds to your image,” Teddy retorted, “dashing good looks-”

“And messy hair,” James laughed, kissing Teddy’s cheek before untangling himself from Teddy’s side.

During dinner Teddy ended up having to silence his phone. He had to - the number of notifications were driving him crazy. He would have to ask Az how to best manage them if this was going to become the new normal. He hoped the payoff would be worth it.

Indulging in his brick chicken, Teddy found himself sneaking bites of James’ salmon, which had been served over creamy mashed potatoes and trying not to look longingly at the t-bone steak Troy and Jenn were sharing. He was still wondering if he’d ordered the wrong thing when they put in an order for dessert, Troy laughing when Teddy predictably ordered a slice of the triple chocolate cake.

“Are we sharing desserts?” Jennifer asked, closing her menu, “or should I order an extra slice of red velvet cake? Now that I’m eating for two,” she smiled.

“Order whatever you want, sweetheart.” Troy wrapped his arms around her as he put in his own dessert order - ice cream sundae - before kissing her temple and whispering, "It won't be as sweet as you anyway.”

Teddy rolled his eyes at Troy but smiled all the same. Beside him James ran his hand down Teddy’s leg as he put in an order for strawberry cheesecake before whispering in his ear, “I know you’re sweeter than all of them.”

Teddy felt his blush down to his toes.

With dessert came Christmas presents.

“I hope you like it,” Teddy said, handing Jennifer her gift first. 

She pulled open the gift bag and removed the layers of tissue paper to reveal the Dresden’s Dutiful Decanter he’d custom-painted for her. She smiled down at it, “Well this is cool design,” she smiled, “thank you, Teddy! Can never have too many water bottles.”

Teddy smiled, “If you’re curious, that’s my WizNet anniversary design. It will probably be everywhere soon, but I thought you would appreciate getting a sneak peek.”

Jenn's eyes sparked as she inspected the design again, radiating pink and seemingly at a loss for words. After a minute she looked up, "This is what will be run in all the ads?"

Teddy nodded.

“So, don’t use it out in public until the campaign goes live then?” she laughed.

“Well you won’t have to wait long. I think the campaign is going to start soon after the new year.”

“Really?” both Jennifer and James asked at the same time. Troy looked on with rapt interest.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so cool, Teddy,” Jennifer grinned at him, “Thanks again,”

“Well it’s the least I could do after, well-” Teddy glanced sidelong at James. 

Jenn put her finger to her lips. “After what exactly?” she winked, running her fingers along the painting on her new bottle.

Teddy smiled, “After nothing.”

Jenn had a bright smile on her face tinged with pink as Troy looked over her shoulder, “I would say that qualifies as ‘marketable, dynamic and eye-catching,” he grinned at Teddy. “Good job,” he said, passing over a large bag, “this is for both of you.”

“Hang on, you,” Teddy softly admonished, “I’m not done yet.” Troy set the bag back down and James passed over the next package to Troy.

“What’s this?” Troy asked, pulling off the ribbon and turning the package over to peel off the wrapping. 

“Something I think you will find useful,” Teddy smiled, “I personally thought they might fill a nursery wall.”

Troy gave him a strange look as he opened the gift, pulling forth the soft-green pigment first. Deep lavender and light blue followed. He smiled, “Aw man, Teddy,” his eyes widened as he looked at the pigments, “Merlin, you know me too well. Thank you.”

Teddy laughed, “I figured you would want to do a gradient on the wall, and I also know we’ve talked about green. Plus all of those are pure too, so you can create anything you want with them.”

“Thank you,” Troy said again as Jenn reached out to take one of the pigment vials from him, turning it over in her hands, a soft smile on her lips. Teddy turned back to grab his one last present and passed it over to them, exchanging the flat package for the bag that Troy held out to him once again. Passing the bag to James, he turned back to Troy, “Ok, last one,” he said with a smile, “go on.”

“You didn’t have to get us anything else,” Troy protested, opening the gift all the same.

“Oh, but I think I did,” Teddy grinned at the audible gasp across the booth as they turned the frame over to reveal his finished piece of Troy with Jenn in his arms, hugging her and her very pregnant belly. Teddy spent the most time on their expressions and gazes this time, attempting to capture the love he saw between the two of them: red and deep. 

“Oh Teddy!” Jennifer sounded a little breathless, “is this really for our Owl announcements?”

Teddy nodded, “Yeah, just be sure to use that one over my sketch, okay?” He smiled.

“I love it,” she smiled, “you’ve outdone yourself this year.”

“Nah - I didn’t do nearly enough.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Teddy smiled, and James ran his hand down Teddy’s leg, pulling his attention to the bag beside him. “Should we open this now?” he asked.

Troy shrugged, “It's your gift. And it probably doesn’t hold up to our presents anyways.”

Teddy rolled his eyes, “it’s not a competition, you know?”

“I’ll open it,” James offered, eyes bright, “if- I mean-”

Teddy laughed, “Go on.”

James pulled open the top only to have green confetti fly in his face. Laughter filled the table as he reached in and unearthed an extremely large bar of Honeydukes’ Finest Chocolate. Passing it over to Teddy, he held it out in front of him - it was the size of his face.

“Did you really think I needed that much chocolate?” he laughed around the sides of the bar. He really had the best friends in the world.

“Don’t tell me you won’t eat it all,” Troy laughed, “give it a week and it will be gone.”

Laughter rang out next to him. Teddy turned to glare at James.

“Oh don’t give me that look, you know it’s true,” James smiled, looking back at Troy, “he won’t even need my help,” he said pushing the bag aside. “I remember one Christmas where my sister and I each bought him a bar about this size, and I swear Teddy had finished one and half by Boxing Day.”

Teddy felt his cheeks heat up, blushing at James for still remembering that little moment from years ago.

“One and a half?” Troy asked between laughs, “I am going to find you drowned in a pile of Chocolate Frogs one of these days, aren’t I?” he turned to James, “and just so you know, that bag isn’t empty yet.”

James shot him an odd look but opened it back up. This time red confetti exploded up in his face. 

“P-sh,” James blew confetti off his face. Teddy found it adorable to watch. “I hope this is worth it,” he teased Troy.

“Oh trust me,” Troy said, “it is.” He smiled and James eyed him slightly skeptically before he reached in and pulled out an envelope addressed to both him and Teddy. Turning it over he opened and pulled out two pieces of paper, his jaw dropped open.

“Troy,” he said, slowly looking up, his eyes shining in disbelief. “How did you get these? This game had been sold out since, forever! I should know - I looked before I came to New York!” His grip loosened as Teddy reached over to take the paper from him. 

“Sometimes it pays to have an uncle who knows the coach,” Troy smiled, “but I would say you more than earned those tickets.”

James offered him a genuine golden grin.

“There’s one more thing,” Jenn said with a small smile, “Teddy, we all must have been on the same page,” she held out a small gift bag to him. Teddy took it graciously and cracked open the top, pulling out a water bottle labeled SASI by Dresden's Dutiful Decanters. The dark green aluminium body clanged against the table.

Teddy looked at it up and down - at least it wasn’t white. “Thank you. Can’t have too many water bottles, right Jenn?”

Jenn winked, “Never!” she laughed, “but this one is special.” She turned to Troy rubbing her hand up and down his back, “wanna tell him, honey?”

 _“That,_ ” Troy said pointedly, “is Dresden's Dutiful Decanters’ most recent invention. Hasn’t even been released yet. It’s part of their newest line SASI - which stands for Special-Anti-Spell-Insulator. It has charms to heat and cool liquids for you. But best of all it has an insulating layer to ensure that nothing can alter the taste of what’s inside.”

"Alter-?"

"Fancy a magically-warmed cuppa, old chap?" Troy teased in a horrible imitation of Teddy’s accent. 

Teddy smiled wide, holding back a laugh. "How did you get this?"

“Again, sometimes it pays to have family connections,” Troy smiled.

“What? You’re not going to tell me?” Teddy mock pouted. 

Troy grinned slyly in response.

“Fine, I know when I can’t win with you. I’ll get it out of you one day. But honestly, thank you so much. I really can’t wait to try it,” he smiled, setting off a chain of grins around the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are the best gifts <3 I treasure them.
> 
> Join me on tumblr: https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/
> 
> Love you all!


	29. Rose Gold

**Chapter 29 - Rose Gold**

Having wrapped up dessert, the group headed to Ruby’s Gallery, which was held in an abandoned warehouse just outside of Wizarding Central Park. Approaching the venue, Teddy was immediately drawn in by a large, stylized sign above the entryway. In bright letters of what looked like neon but was probably actually magical plasma, it read:

The Proteus Connection: 

a gallery exploration of communication throughout wizarding history

The four of them passed under it into the darker space. Teddy spotted floating candles along the ceiling that shifted to vintage Edison bulbs as they spread across the room. Along the back wall was a long bar with industrial gothic-style accents serving up colorful drinks in elegant glassware. A quartet played soft music on a small stage, filling the room with music that sounded straight out of another era. 

Sheer screens separated booths which lined the walls. Teddy counted three on each side. He watched as witches and wizards interacted with odd ghost-like scenes that played out in three-dimensional space. Behind this curious bit of magic, Teddy spotted the unmistakable sight of Ruby's work hanging on the wall, acting as a scrim or a sort of backdrop for each nook - it was obvious that each individual piece had been created to fit the theme of each space. 

“Woah, this is cool,” James said, attention gravitating towards a booth where Teddy took notice of a wizard in blue robes who was riding on a broom close to the ground. The broom had clearly been charmed to have a limited range of movement but the way he weaved in and out of the ghost-like projections of whatever memory that booth was playing made it look very interesting. “I think I need to check that out, like, yesterday.”

A voice behind them cut in before Teddy could react, “Wonder Boy of Wynwood interested in something Quidditch? Why am I not surprised?”

“Ah- former Wonder boy,” James corrected good-naturedly while turning around, “and would you want me to poke fun at you for the booth behind it that looks to be all about potions?”

“What?” Al looked up excitedly before getting a grip on himself, “I mean, why would you think I would be interested in _that?_ Hi, Teddy.”

Teddy returned Al's greeting warmly before having to bite down on a laugh as the two brothers continued to banter. Tuning them out Teddy looked around the room to see if he could spot Ruby in the crowd. The place was already fairly packed. He was mildly surprised to see Steven Roche sipping on a dark amber liquid as he stood in front of one of the displays and nodded intensely in the direction of the man who stood across from him. Stephanie stood nearby, sans-alcohol, dressed in sparkly black robes and chatting with two women, the resemblance between them was so strong Teddy thought she looked like she could be her sister or cousin or something. He even thought he may have spotted Madison Graves across the crowd, but he couldn’t be completely sure. If it was, James gave no reaction. But then he was still transfixed by the Quidditch memory booth. Looking around and still seeing no sign of Ruby, Teddy turned his attention back to Troy.

“Hey, do you see Ruby?” he asked, voice carrying over the music and chatter as they moved deeper into the space. 

Troy shook his head, “Nope. Can’t say I do. But the old witch has really outdone herself this time, hasn’t she?”

Teddy nodded in agreement.

Continuing to take in the layout of the room, Teddy noticed each booth had a sign above it similar to the one that hung outside the warehouse - floating neon-like magical lettering proclaiming the theme or idea of each booth. Turning around to look at the wall they had just come from, he saw three booths proclaiming “Past”, “Present”, and “Future”, bringing the total nooks he had seen to nine. He was interested in the Future one the most, the backdrop was an odd layering of sharp geometric shapes cycling through a rainbow of colors. There was a certain draw to the colors coming from the booth that he found himself, quite unconsciously, moving towards it. He turned to tell James but found him already over at the Quidditch booth with his brother. Teddy changed direction to join back up with them.

“Hi Teddy!” 

Teddy turned over his shoulder to see Az excitedly walking up to him. Her turquoise robes were adorned with foliage climbing up from the bottom, vines and leaves entangled tightly together at the bottom and loosening as they ascended towards the top. They weren’t enchanted to move but Teddy thought they should be, given the environment surrounding them. 

“Hey Az,” Teddy smiled before turning his mouth into a mock-serious expression, “How’s the woman responsible for the bomb in my pocket?”

Az’s smile dropped just slightly before she reset it, “So many jokes there, where do I begin?”

“How about at the beginning?”

“I mean, I guess I’ll claim responsibility - you’ve surpassed one thousand followers and are steadily climbing.”

Teddy blinked, that was a jump up. “I did?” he asked, pulling out his phone in disbelief.

Az nodded, “You did. And we are generating all kinds of discussion and comments. I guess a story of transformation will do that. And the tattoo design? Yeah, I think we’ve created something of a splash now.” 

“I saw it,” came Al’s voice from behind them both, “it’s pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.”

“Oh? And why do you think that?” Az asked, amber with amusement.

Teddy let them chat as he moved over towards James who was in queue at the Quidditch booth. He learned over and pressed his lips to his boyfriend’s cheek. James let out a small hum but his eyes never left from the scene in front of him. Teddy followed his gaze and saw a middle-aged witch surrounded by a group of cheering ghost-like school children. She had just caught the Snitch and her hand was held high, even if the game was no doubt decades ago. 

"Wow, we've come a long way since the days of diving into a Pensieve," Teddy said, his eyes' wide with excitement. "How does it work?" 

James smiled up at him. “I was kinda hoping you’d tell me,” he said as the witch and wizard in front of them cleared out from the booth, laughing and smiling. “I guess we’ll find out.”

Stepping up to the iPad in front of the now empty space, Teddy studied Ruby’s piece that was the static backdrop. It was a large painting of a Quidditch pitch, shadows charmed to move across it as an unseen sun moved across the sky. Teddy was amazed by the realistic detail of the blades of grass below, the cloth on the stands, and the metal of the hoops when suddenly ghostly figures were moving around him. Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms versus Hufflepuff ones. Teddy smiled, recognizing his own face and a few others as they passed by; he knew this memory. The final Quidditch match of his seventh year against Gryffindor. James was a first year Chaser, giving him special permission to join the team when one of Chasers had been injured so badly he couldn’t play. Teddy could still remember how happy James had been to finally play in a game, as well as the conflict he’d expressed at being able to do so at someone else’s expense. 

Smiling, James jumped on the broom in the middle of the booth. It remained close to the ground, but the sense of the memory playing all around them made it feel more exciting than that. 

“Remember this, Teddy?” James asked with a smile.

“Sure do.”

“Do you want a go on the broom?”

“Later,” Teddy winked, “this is your memory.”

“Yeah, but you still won.”

Teddy turned his focus back to the memory in progress. The cheers from the stands were loud but distorted as James was flying fast, reckless and agile even back then, but Teddy noticed the memory’s focus was split between watching the happenings on the pitch and following Teddy. First-year James, who Teddy would have suspected to be single-mindedly focused on the game, was splitting his attention between the Quaffle and Teddy, a fact that tugged on Teddy’s heart strings. Both boys watched as the Snitch was caught and the match was over. Stepping closer to James as the memory ended, Teddy kissed him on the lips. “Maybe I won that match,” he conceded, “but victory is yours.”

He could feel as James shuddered slightly under him and smiled rose golden and brilliant, causing Teddy's heart to melt.

“Hey love birds,” Al called from the booth over, Az was standing next to him, “come and see this.”

James jumped off the broom to join his brother at the next iPad and Teddy followed, watching him use his wand to pull out his memory and load it onto the device. A fairly innocuous scene from one of Al's Potions classes filled the space around them.

And that’s how the next few hours passed. Visiting various booths and playing out different memories. When they did finally make it to the future booth, the only one that relied on imagination to structure the scene, Troy decided to take the first go at it. Troy projected a warm scene of Jennifer holding their future son or daughter - it was hard to tell which - and humming sweetly. The scene was eerily similar to Teddy's rendering and it was clearly having an effect on Jennifer, as she was trying not to tear up as she gave Troy a kiss. 

After that James decided he wanted to try. Instead of creating one scene, he created a string of them, moving through moments that he considered “traditions” they had barely begun to create: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas - all spent together over an indeterminate amount of years as he and Teddy grow old together in his glimpse. It was very sweet and Teddy felt like all his cells would explode from the happiness that the unformed scenes gave him.

It was nearing ten o’clock when Teddy finally spotted Ruby across the room. Not wanting to lose sight of her, she was in high demand after all, he headed straight towards her, pulling James along beside him. 

"Ruby!" he yelled over the noise when they were close enough to the witch responsible for this incredible event. She was smiling as they made it the rest of the way through the crowded space. "I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, James Potter. James, this is Ruby Fontaine, the wonderful witch who trained me and made all this possible.”

Teddy watched as James turned on the charm, “Good to finally meet you, Ruby,” he said with a wide smile, “Teddy has told me so much about you.”

Ruby laughed, light and refreshing. Her hazel eyes surrounded by thin wrinkles sparkled and her long silver hair was pulled back into intricate braids with her equally silver robes wrapped around her elegantly. Her fingernails were painted red, the color standing out strongly amongst all the silver. Teddy tried to remember the last time he’d seen her hands free of paint stains. “Good to meet you too, James. Hopefully the stories were good and I didn’t torture him too badly.”

“Torture us?” Troy’s voice broke through as she and James shook hands, “You wouldn’t dream of it!”

“Troy! I am so glad both you boys could make it,” Ruby said sincerely.

“As if we would miss this!” Troy was clearly turning on his own charm as he pulled Jennifer over. “Ruby, you remember my wife, Jennifer?”

“Of course, hello again, my dear,” Ruby’s smile was sincere, “how are you enjoying the experience?”

“This is quite an amazing merging of magic and tech.” Jennifer’s eyes sparkled. “How did you manage it?”

“It was quite tricky,” Ruby admitted, “but all very exhilarating, is it not?”

“Absolutely brilliant!” James jumped in, smiling. “I was especially taken by the Quidditch experience you have set up over there. Replaying my memories in real time, like inside a Pensieve but in reality? Real space!” He shook his head. “And then flying in it, like it’s happening now! Wonderful show.”

“It’s your memory,” Ruby’s eyes were bright, “but I am thrilled to help enhance it and that you enjoyed it.”

Teddy thought back to their stop at the ‘Future’ booth, the dream-like quality of James’ glimpse into his hopes. Of the two of them growing old together, sharing birthdays, holidays and stories. Laughing together. That was what stood out the most to Teddy, all the smiles and laughter there had been in that scene. It was incomparable to any other relationship in his life and he found himself uplifted by the change.

“How long is the show running?” Troy’s voice broke through Teddy’s thoughts.

“A few months,” Ruby waved her hand, “but there’s talk of turning it into a permanent installation.”

That got Teddy’s attention. “Oh really?”

Ruby smiled, “Yes, we’ve had a few potential investors inquire about creating a wizarding museum to house all the uploaded memories from the event. And it has been brought to my attention that the PenSave executive team has been working with Steven Roche to patent the spellwork.”

“How has that process been working out?” Teddy asked cautiously, knowing Ruby would probably catch on.

“As well as can be expected,” she said, looking him in the eye, “Why? Have you been working on something?”

“Maybe.” Teddy pulled his robe sleeves down over his hands in lieu of looking down. “He sought me out actually.”

“Well it might be a good idea to get something in your name,” Ruby said with a smile, “Especially if you’re going to continue to create pieces for WizNet.”

Teddy felt his eyes widen at that and he fought the morph. Ruby let out a light laugh, “What? Did you think I didn’t know about that? They firecalled me to vet you beforehand.”

“And what did you say?”

“That they would be crazy not to contract you.”

Teddy felt warmth spread all the way down to his toes.

* * *

It started to snow when Teddy and James finally returned to Teddy’s apartment. Immediately after they both Apparated into the flat, Teddy threw himself on the couch and pulled James down with him. James laughed sleepily and snuggled closer, rubbing his nose against Teddy’s neck. Teddy let out a contented sigh - the night had been wonderful but nothing compared to holding James in his arms. 

“Hey, Teddy,” James said, slight blush creeping on his cheeks.

“Yes?” Teddy looked down at James, feeling loved as James peered up at him through his lashes.

“I know it’s not quite Christmas, and we’re going back to England tomorrow, but - can I give you your present early?”

“Just you being here is my present.” Teddy squeezed James tight. “And also, I think Rappaport’s is well on its way to being repealed thanks to you, and that’s another Christmas miracle all on it’s own.” He smiled down at James.

James' grin was golden. “Okay, those things might be true,” he teased, “but I have one more thing. _Accio-Teddy’s present_.” A long box wrapped in plain brown paper with green and golden ribbon floated over to them. Reaching out Teddy took it and just stared down at it for a moment. 

“Go on, open it,” James encouraged. 

Sitting up Teddy removed the bow first before carefully undoing the paper and lifting the lid off the box. Lying inside were two pieces of parchment, obviously copied from a much larger and more official document - the top of the page read:

**SPELLBOUND FREELANCE WRITING AGREEMENT**

This agreement as defined by Sections 1-7 of "The Contractual Agreement" is hereby entered into by James Potter as "Writer" and Spellbound as "Publisher"

In consideration of the mutual covenants within, the parties agree to the following:

Teddy looked over at James, wide-eyed. “James-” he started, his heart pounding, but James interrupted him.

“I hope it’s not too much. I don’t want to put the carriage before the Thestral, so to speak. But Spellbound loved my work for the Quibbler and asked me if I would join their Freelance Writing Team and I thought it would give me time to work on my biography, and I have no desire to go back to England, and your life is here and wouldn’t it be a great Christmas present if I could stay with you? So I have this contract signed and ready to go, and all you have to do is tell me you don’t want me to leave and I’ll stay with you here because I love you and I want to be with you, always. In our own happily ever after.” 

James’ eyes were bright as he lovingly rambled through his thoughts and Teddy felt something inside him break open. Every time James mentioned the future with him, Teddy had to remember to breathe as love seeped through him, mending his cracks with gold. He felt like he would never live up to this impossible boy in his arms but he wanted to try. Thinking back to Jason Fischer’s offer to connect him with the tWitch executive in London, he suddenly knew it didn’t matter. His life was here, with James. And whatever James wanted to do they would do. Together.

“Teddy?” James asked with a trace of trepidation, which Teddy silenced by pulling him close and kissing him soundly. The world went silent, black, and warm as he poured out his soul on James’ lips, tasting, feeling, and seeing every colour of the rainbow in his own sensual way. Like catching James’ smile in a bottle, his boldness, his sweetness, the wondrous way he made Teddy feel as their lips pressed against each other, tongues dancing together sensuously.

It was a long moment before he pulled away, holding James’ hands in his and looking deeply into his eyes, before resting their foreheads together. He looked down at their connected hands. 

“James,” Teddy said imploringly, something in his tone causing James to look at him. Green eyes met brown. “James,” Teddy tried again, licking his lips, his voice low and husky, “there is nothing in this world I want more than for you to stay. With me.” 

With the sentiment barely a whisper of breath on the air, Teddy suddenly found they were kissing again. James pressed him back down onto the couch and proceeded to lie on top of Teddy. Together, they sank into the soft cushions.

Teddy groaned, arching up into James, pressing them together as tightly as he could while running his hands along James’ back as they kissed passionately in the moonlight. Teddy could feel the love radiating from James and allowed himself to be swept up in it.

“I love you,” James pressed himself up against Teddy’s chest so their eyes locked, running a free hand almost absentmindedly through Teddy’s turquoise hair. “I don’t know how I got so lucky or what I would do without you, but I-”

“I know,” Teddy grinned up at James, moving his hand to grip the one James pressed over his heart. James’ eyes were full of a warmth that reached right inside him and somehow made Teddy feel a little more whole. “I love you too. You can stay forever if you want. I’ll be with you as long as you’ll have me.”

Teddy’s breath caught in his throat as the rose gold vibration that Teddy now knew to be pure love radiated from James. Leaning down to claim Teddy’s lips again, James closed the gap between them, feeling the intensity burst from every cell in his body - hot, warm, and sexy. 

Without warning, a sudden surge of wandless and wordless magic surrounded them. Teddy and James shared a bewildered look, neither sure whose magic it was or indeed if it was both of them together. As the explosion of the raw magic took effect, they found themselves both naked, intimately pressing against each other, skin to skin. But it wasn’t the magic that caused Teddy to feel like a piece of him that had been missing was returned, it was the man above him who kissed him like he was the only creature on earth who mattered - like they were the only two beings in the entire world.

“Bed?” Teddy whispered, afraid to ruin the moment but needing more, needing James. 

James nodded before he pulled them up from the couch and moved them as one to the bedroom, never allowing more than an inch or two of space between their bodies. In the bedroom, Teddy pushed James down onto the bed, asserting some control, before climbing on top of him and grinding down. The friction across the expanse of their sweat-stained skin was making Teddy dizzy. He leaned down to kiss James’ lips, lost for words.

Given the state of the boy beneath him, the kiss quickly devolved into just a simple press of lips as Teddy returned his focus to the mind-numbing motions that were reducing James to a puddle of golden moans. 

Teddy wanted more but also wanted to move slower, knowing neither of them would last if he continued at this pace, and this was a moment he wished to savor, every inch of James’ body exposed beneath him. He traced his fingers delicately down the chiseled torso, needing to touch everywhere he could.

James was gasping under him, his face heavy with pleasure and his cock urgently pressing against Teddy's hip, as hard as it had ever been. Teddy completely lost himself to the feeling for a moment - the constant panting directly in his ear, hot and heavy, along with the hard body thrusting upwards to meet him. Strongest of all was the ever intense gaze that stared up at him. Teddy would never get his fill of this man if James looked at him like that every day - soft, golden expression mingled with the rosy tone that was currently Teddy’s world with James in his arms. A hundred lifetimes with James wouldn't be enough. 

Reaching down, Teddy gripped James’ cock and teased him with slow pumps, keeping the pace leisurely as he moved back down to kiss him full on the lips. James reached up to grip Teddy’s own cock, stroking him in rhythm. Between them both, there was no urgency, just pleasurable brain-melting goodness. 

When their shared heart rate had settled a bit, James broke the silence. “Teddy,” James panted, “want to taste you-”

Teddy was more than happy to oblige, but felt he could do one better. “Lie back,” he instructed, voice husky and heavy with lust, before crawling up towards James’ head, turning around and straddling his face. As he leaned forward to get his mouth close to James’ cock, his own lined up with James’ mouth. Without warning, Teddy felt the heat of James’ mouth envelop his cock and he lost himself to the sensation for a moment as the warmth lit him up with pleasure. 

James sped up, swirling his tongue around the tip of Teddy’s cock before taking him all back in. Teddy reveled in the sensation for a moment before turning to his prize below him - James’ hard cock stood at attention ready for him. Lightly brushing his fingertips on the soft skin of James' thighs, Teddy teased his lover before finally wrapping his lips around the hard cock in front of him. 

James’ taste was intoxicating as Teddy lapped at the tip, smeared with precum, before taking him in an inch at a time until his mouth was full of James. As he teased the rigid length of James' cock with his tongue, his world narrowed to just the pleasure of James' cock in his mouth, his cock in James' mouth, and the thought of how close they were to creating a circuit on the bed. The thought created a burst of mind-numbing wonder and amazement. Teddy felt like his senses were on fire as James sucked him hard and desperately, only interrupted by that wicked tongue running up and down his shaft and the occasional moan that sent shocks through his cock right to his core. 

When Teddy felt desire and pleasure pooling in his abdomen, he gently pulled back, not wanting to cum in James' mouth. James let out a small whine at the loss but Teddy had other plans. Righting himself he turned and kissed James soundly, deeply, and lovingly. Teddy lost himself in the kiss for a moment before pulling away and looking down at James. His lips red and eyes wide, looking at Teddy like he was something precious, perhaps the most precious thing there was.

"Accio-lube," Teddy said quietly, not wanting to disturb the moment, but urgently and with intent - he wanted nothing more than to sheathe himself inside James, to feel a different heat surround him as they became as close to each other as possible. The jar snapped into his hand. Unscrewing the lid he added a small amount into his palm before moving again. He kissed down James' torso, forcing himself to go slowly to savor the moment with the man in his arms. 

Teddy placed a kiss to James' sternum before moving over to flick his tongue over James' nipple. A sharp intake of breath and a small gasp from James filled Teddy with satisfaction and he lingered there for a moment, toying with James for a little while, running his tongue over the right one while twisting the left between his fingers. Breathing in James’ unique soft cinnamon scent as he tasted his salty sweet skin, James’ soft moans and gasps went straight to Teddy’s cock, his own erection still standing at attention and begging to be touched. Teddy let out an involuntary moan, his own voice bringing him back to reality - James was writhing beneath him, but even more importantly he was staying.

The thought filled Teddy with warmth and love.

Pressing kisses to soft skin, Teddy continued his journey down to take James back into his mouth. James was heavy on his tongue, warm and filling, precum salty and sweet on his tongue. Teddy relaxed his throat and took James in as far as he could, feeling the cock hit the back of his throat, balls deep, just as his nose nestled in James' soft pubes. Pulling back, he glanced up to see James spellbound in pleasure above him. Encouraged, Teddy reached between James' spread legs and inserted a finger into his tight hole, loving the moans it elicited as he pushed in deeper.

“Ah! Teddy! Love your hands. On me. In me. They’re perfect...” James begged longingly. Teddy felt his heart swell as James pushed down around his finger, so he added a second - scissoring them back and forth to make sure James would feel good when he finally pressed into him. And his reaction was amazing, James groaned as he shivered and wantonly beared down around Teddy’s fingers.

“Need you,” James moaned, writhing beneath Teddy’s hands. Hands that he couldn’t change but that still made James moan and beg for him. Teddy felt his breath catch.

“Love, you have me,” Teddy breathed out, moving back up to kiss James’ lips. Teddy spread his fingers and, when he felt almost no resistance from James’ hole, knew it was time. With the remaining lube, he coated his cock before pushing James’ knees towards his chest and fitting his cock against James’ quivering hole. He stared directly into James’ eyes, seeing the glow of his own amber ones reflected in the deep green staring back as he pushed in - bodies connecting inch by inch as James’ heat enveloped him. As James slowly stretched around his cock, it only brought them closer together and Teddy thought he would never get enough of being inside James. 

“Oh, you feel so big, so good,” James moaned, “I feel so full of you. I can’t get enough.” He pulled Teddy close, his hands everywhere they could reach on Teddy, and held on as if Teddy was the only solid thing in his world. It felt amazing as they moved together, sending shockwaves through them both, as Teddy found the right angle to hit the sweet spot that drove James wild beneath him. It took just a few well-aimed thrusts to unravel James, making him shake with pleasure until he was cumming - thick ropes of milky white semen hitting his stomach. All for Teddy. 

For a moment he was mesmerized before James’ clenching around his own cock combined with the intensity of their shared moans had Teddy spilling his seed deep in James’ ass. Teddy was nearly blinded by the burst of gold that accompanied his orgasm. When his vision returned, he looked down at a wondrous sight - James, eyes closed and chest heaving, glistening with sweat and cum, still impaled on his slowly softening cock. 

Slowly James opened his eyes, reached up and grabbed Teddy by the shoulders, bringing him down for a long, intense kiss. Pulling away he looked right into his eyes. Teddy felt like he could get lost in the green depth he saw there. “I love you,” Teddy whispered, pushing James’ hair back from his face, “I didn’t know I could love someone this much before you.”

James responded with a smile, and Teddy felt like that moment was the most amazing sight in the world. Post-shag James was quite the sight, but nothing compared to the image of James content just by his love. He wanted to draw it, capture it, keep it forever in his heart as James looked at him like he was worth more than all the galleons at Gringotts. Teddy felt his heart beat in his chest.

“I think I’ve always loved you,” James confided, “even if we hadn’t gotten together I would love you. Because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.” 

Teddy pulled James close and held him tightly, never wanting to let go. And when James reached up and wrapped his arms around him in return, he knew that there was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of Ruby's Gallery? And James is staying in New York! One more chapter to go - can't believe the end is so near.
> 
> Kudos and Comments are rose gold <3
> 
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	30. Epilogue - Christmas Colors

**Chapter 30 - Epilogue - Christmas Colors**

**White Christmas -**

Christmas their first year passed in a blur. When Teddy, James and Al all took the same Portkey back to England, they were greeted by the other three Potters, all waiting for them. Lily embraced Teddy like her long lost brother and talked a million miles a minute.

“Oh! I knew I always saw you in the family, Teddy! I’m so happy you are now.” 

She embraced James next, “I pulled your cards- for fun, you know? And they said ‘a new creative endeavor was on your horizon’. In your case, that could be a who or a what,” She grinned cheekily at her brother.

James rolled his eyes, "I'm torn. While that's right, on both accounts, I still don't want to believe."

“That's okay, you don't have to for them to still come true,” she smiled, “I’ll have to show you my deck sometime, Teddy - if you haven’t seen the cards before, I think you’ll really like the art on them. I heard the artist was a lot like you - mixed-media artist who created some amazing work. An orphan too, and she even had synesthesia. She was super ahead of her time with-”

“Alright already, you can give him the history lesson later,” Al interrupted, pulling her away for a moment.

Teddy looked at James. “Did you tell Lily that I have synesthesia?” James shook his head. Teddy tugged at his sleeves and glanced at her, wondering just how clairvoyant she really was. 

Welcoming him back, Harry and Ginny simultaneously expressed their praise of James’ newest career opportunity and their collective disappointment that he would be moving so far away from home. Then they told Teddy how happy they were to have him home. Ginny even gave him a tighter hug than even Lily had. It almost made him feel guilty for not following up on the tWitch job. Almost.

Al, for his part, supported James’ move over Christmas Eve dinner. “I loved New York. Maybe if the opening of Seventh goes as well as planned, I’ll open a second location in Greenwich.”

“Oh? Were you wanting to be closer to us or maybe just Az?” James teased, stuffing his mouth full of food.

“So what if I do?” Al asked, incredulously. “You were the one who encouraged me.”

James smiled, “I just want to see you happy.” He grabbed Teddy's hand beneath the table after that and squeezed.

Presents were exchanged with cheer on Christmas morning, followed by the traditional Christmas Day feast at the Burrow. The one important thing that was different from all their previous Christmases was that this year Teddy had James. And whether they kissed under the magical mistletoe or were being lovingly teased by the family, both boys found the news of their relationship to have gone over surprisingly well in the Potter household - all things considered.

Teddy still hadn’t confronted his Gran regarding his new relationship by the time he and James had returned to New York for New Years Eve. It felt more insurmountable to come clean to her about it. He had sent her her necklace via OwlTrac once he and James had got to England (no sense in paying international prices when he was going to be in the same country anyway). He originally thought about using the Potters’ owl, Stix, for the delivery but thought better of it - better to let her think he’d sent it from America. A gift from Voclain & Co didn’t need much additional wrapping, so to compensate for lack of wrapping elegance Teddy had handmade her a Christmas card. Taking inspiration from Ruby’s Gala invitation, he had layered white cardstock and cut out stacks of white snowflakes - he had used a laser spell to get the miniature cuts just right - and had animated his sentiments; something about “may all your Christmases be _white_.” In spite of the headache the project had given him, he was torn if she would appreciate it or if it would end up in the bin. He found out it was the former when he and James stumbled onto a fairly large box in his living room.

“What did you get?” James asked excitedly, pointing to the large package.

“I’m not sure,” Teddy said, undoing the tape with abandon and opening the box to find a handwritten note on top: “Happy Christmas - Love, Gran” sat in the middle of a holly border. Below it sat a beautiful black-wool winter robe, fashioned after a peacoat, with teal ribbon trimming on some of the seams. It looked very expensive and luxurious and Teddy couldn’t remember the last time she had gifted him such an expensive looking present; it looked as if it had been custom designed by Madam Malkin herself. Teddy held it up against himself, he instantly knew Az would love it - and would totally call him out on the blend of Muggle and Wizarding styles. He was lost down this train of thought combined with his own amazement that his Gran had picked out something he actually loved when he looked up to see James smiling, bright and golden at him. His heart melted for a moment.

“Very dapper,” James noted with a smile, “that’s going to look really good on you.”

“You think?” Teddy smiled.

“I know,” James grinned, “try it on.”

Teddy did more than just try it on, which ended with James taking it off him on the way to the bedroom. He also wore it out with James, Troy, Jennifer, Melody, and Brooklyn as they watched the annual magical fireworks go off down Manhattan Main. Troy noticed his new coat right away.

“New cloak?” Troy asked, eyebrows raised when he saw him.

"What? No 'Happy New Year, Teddy', or 'How was your Christmas, Teddy?'" Teddy retorted playfully in response.

“It’s not the New Year yet-” Troy defended, grinning, “plus, what kinda friend would I be if I didn’t notice things about you, especially when they have your favorite color on them?”

That comment was unexpected and brought a grin to Teddy’s face.

At the stroke of midnight, Teddy and James shared their first kiss of the year - sweet, passionate and loving with the promise of many more to come.

The new year only got better when Teddy awoke the following morning.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” came James’ voice softly in his ear, “time to get up!”

“Huh?” Teddy’s voice rasped.

“C’mon. Up, love. I made you hot chocolate.” James leaned down to kiss Teddy softly on the lips before handing him the drink.

“Mmm, thanks,” sitting up, Teddy took the hot mug in his hands, “What time is it?”

“8am.”

“Dare I ask why you’re getting me up so early?” 

“It’s not early, silly! Now, c’mon. UP! Time to get dressed. We’re already late.”

“Late?” Teddy asked, confused and bewildered, rolling out of bed and pulling on some robes as he did so. “Late for what?”

James just shot him his signature golden grin, holding out his hand to Apparate them away.

When Teddy came to from having all his guts squeezed through time and space so early in the morning, he saw they were standing at the Apparition coordinates for Manhattan Main. James grabbed his hand, “C’mon, Teddy!” he said excitedly, pulling Teddy along into the center of the rapidly crowding street.

“James,” Teddy asked slightly out of breath in the cold, “why are we here?”

James started to point up, but then turned to take both his boyfriend’s hands in his. “Teddy, I-”

But he didn’t get out any more than that because then Teddy saw it. About fifty feet above his head, the witch in his WizNet Anniversary ad winked down at him.

Teddy’s mouth gaped open and his heart sped up at the sight. This was the start of it, he knew. His work would be around the Wizarding World for an entire year. Seeing the first of it with his own eyes was incredible. He turned to James in awe who was looking at Teddy like he was the most important thing in the world.

“James, how did you know this was _here?”_ Teddy asked, breathless. He felt like James’ hands were the only thing keeping him upright as his boyfriend excitedly leaned forward.

“Will you move in with me?” James' tone ignited every cell in Teddy’s body as he answered the question with one of his own, completing catching Teddy off balance.

“But - but we already live together.”

James shook his head, “No, I came into your place and stayed with you. And we can continue that way, you know, for now. But eventually, I think I would like to have a place we pick out. Together. Me and you.”

Teddy laughed warmly, squeezing James’ hand so tightly his knuckles had to be white, “Our own castle for our ‘Happily Ever After’?”

James nodded and pulled him in for a searing kiss, in the middle of Manhattan Main, Teddy’s WizNet piece above their heads and the man he loved in his arms. 

**Green Christmas -**

Christmas their second year Rose and Scorpius were set to get married on New Year’s Day, so Teddy and James extended their stay in England for two weeks.

Al showed up to all the Christmas and wedding festivities with Az on his arm, which caused Scorpius to shoot viperous looks of jealousy towards his best man in the days leading up to that wedding. Looks so strong Teddy wouldn’t miss them even if he couldn’t see the neon green vibrations of envy from the soon-to-be groom. Teddy discussed his observations quietly with James and together they decided not to bring it up with his brother since Al, surprisingly, didn’t give off any indication that it was bothering him. 

Indeed it appeared that Al only had eyes for Az these days, the two of whom had oddly become the power couple to beat in the past year. Teddy wasn’t sure what the nature of their relationship really was, as they had never come out and expressed that they were a couple in the traditional sense, but over the past 365 days they had started sharing a particular soft bronzish vibration that was somehow a combo to her natural orange and his silver glow. This could simply have been attributed to the additional time Az had spent growing all three of their social pages by massive percentages that had resulted in increased business for all three of them. Or it could be something more. But Teddy didn’t think he should ask and neither of them would tell.

With the newly generated profits from his restaurant's success, coupled with the undeniable fame that came from simply being a Potter, Al was set to open up his second location in New York City in early spring. He’d asked Teddy to help with the interior design and Teddy had already painted on two of the white walls, with the remainder to be completed after the new year. With the success of his WizNet anniversary campaign, Teddy had found more companies were reaching out to him for one-off freelance work, and his portrait clients kept coming as well. All of this unprecedented success prompted his Gran to pull him aside over Christmas.

“Teddy!” she pulled him in for a hug, “It’s wonderful to see you. You look”—she eyed him up and down—“good.”

“Hi, Gran,” Teddy gave her a smile, “you look good too.”

Teddy knew she would like to hear it, and it was confirmed when she smiled before continuing, “I hear you’re making waves in New York now, maybe I should come and visit. Ginny tells me James is living with you now and Albus is opening up a second location in Greenwich. And you! Your little gallery has certainly become very successful over there. Or so I hear.” 

Teddy nodded, keeping his emotions in check, when he noticed golden vibrations flow over his shoulder, indicating James had come up behind him. His heart flew out to him, just knowing he was nearby to support him gave him extra strength.

“I saw your work in that WizNet campaign. I am very proud of you for landing that project. I am happy to see you making something of yourself. It’s quite a remarkable achievement.”

It was fitting, Teddy thought, that she only expressed that sentiment now that he was marginally successful. Fighting a frown from his face, he looked up at her. He knew she loved him and that she only wanted what was best for him, but therein lay the issue: it was only after he accomplished something that she was proud. She rarely expressed that sentiment just because. Slightly hurt, he swallowed. “Thanks Gran,” he managed with a smile, “it hasn’t been easy but I am happy.”

“Of course it hasn’t been easy!” Andromeda readily agreed, “you have always picked the most difficult path in front of you. But that’s what makes it so remarkable you’ve made it. I am very proud of you. I do love you, Teddy.”

The words hit Teddy square in the chest like a battering ram. She was trying her best and Teddy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so, to hide all his emotions entirely he pulled her into a hug instead, surprising them both. “I know, Gran. I know.”

Later on that night, cuddling in bed, comfortable and warm, James’ voice drifted softly through the darkness.

“Hey, Teddy.”

“Mhm?” Teddy asked, clutching James closer.

“You know that you don’t have to _do_ anything for me to be proud of you, right?”

Teddy fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**Red Christmas -**

Their third Christmas saw record snowfall piled high on the New York City streets. _Harry Potter and the War that Made him Famous: the Story of a Cloak, a Stone and a Wand_ by James Sirius Potter had run its first print in mid-November and had sold out so quickly a second run had to be ordered. The book had created quite a stir in the Wizarding Community - so much so that James had been invited to the MACUSA’s annual Presidential Christmas Eve Ball as an honoured guest. 

When the formal invitation was delivered via Presidential Owl, both boys decided to stay in New York for Christmas and go back to England for New Years instead so they could attend.

Christmas morning was spent at Troy’s penthouse, the Crow’s Nest, with Troy, Jennifer and London, now a bright blue eyed girl approaching two. The family was expecting a little brother or sister for her in the new year and Jennifer was positively glowing.

“This pregnancy is treating me better than my first,” she smiled happily. “I’m convinced that it’s a boy - my mom always said carrying my two brothers was easier.”

“Do you think you’ll have a third?” James asked, next to her on the couch.

“Let’s wait until this one is born, I’m only four months along,” she patted her stomach, “do you want kids, James?” 

James looked up at Teddy who was leaning in the doorway across the room, “You know? I think I already have everything I want.”

Teddy felt his heart swell at that.

“Anything after that is just bonus, huh?” Jennifer asked with a teasing smile as Troy came in, carrying London in his arms. Jennifer held out her arms to her daughter. “Come here, baby girl,” she said as she pulled her in close.

“I think all the opening presents excitement finally caught up with her,” Troy said, “we should probably put her down for a nap before we go to my parents for dinner.”

“Want me to take her up?” Teddy asked, crossing the room.

“No, I will,” Jennifer volunteered, standing up, “we’ll leave you boys to it.” She turned to her daughter and smiled, “we’re gonna go have some girl time, aren’t we?” she teased.

London blew a small raspberry.

* * *

Later that day, once London was asleep and before they went to the Jonker’s for Christmas dinner, Teddy and James found themselves on a walk through Wizarding Central Park. Every year on Christmas, the park was charmed with a million dancing lights and magical ice sculptures, and Teddy, always having gone back to England for the holiday, had never had a chance to see them. Despite the cold, Teddy found his hands were warm tucked around James as they walked, taking in the sights of the lights and unique silence that only comes with heavy snowfall.

“Hey, James,” Teddy hugged him into his side, “do you remember our first date here?”

James looked at him like he’d lost his marbles and laughed, “How could I ever forget? If only because seeing the National Quidditch Stadium was nearly as amazing as being out with you.”

“Is that so?” Teddy teased, kissing his boyfriend’s cheek. “Nice to know I’m on par with that at least.”

“On par?” James turned to Teddy. “Oh you well surpass it.”

“You sure?” Teddy teased, “wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Aw, Ted-ster,” James pulled him in for a heart-stopping kiss, “you never disappoint me.”

“Never?”

James shook his head, “You should know that by now.”

Teddy smiled, looking deep into James’ eyes, “I do know that. Do you know what else I know?”

James shook his head, so Teddy encircled his arms around him and continued, “I know that you have an addiction to buying new trainers and caffeine and can run circles around me on a good day. I know that you make bedhead look sexy and that the feeling of leather weirdly calms you down. I know you can name every Quidditch statistic and player going back years and if you ever don’t know something you’ll research the hell out of it. I know that you cast all the water charms around the house purely so I don’t have to-”

“Oi- you know that benefits us both!” James smiled as he protested, golden vibration radiating out. 

“That may be true,” Teddy started again, “but it doesn’t make it any less thoughtful. That’s another thing I know, how thoughtful you are. And how brave and persistent. I know you love a good story and can write an even better one. I love how you chase after what’s yours. And you know what else I know?”

James shook his head, eyes wide, aglow with love. Teddy continued to look into them.

“I know I’m yours. You caught me.” Teddy reached into his pocket and pulled out a Golden Snitch he’d gotten from Harry, “The question is, will you be mine?”

James gingerly reached out and took the Snitch from Teddy’s hand. He opened his palm and placed it on his hand where it popped open, revealing a golden ring with a small, red ruby on top. James looked at it, almost in disbelief for a moment, before turning back to look at Teddy. “Yes,” he gasped, and his eyes watering, “Always.”

Teddy reached for the ring and slipped it on James’ finger before pulling him close for a kiss. His heart swelled in his chest at the feel of James against him, the press of their bodies, the softness of James’ lips under his. “I love you,” Teddy said between kisses, “I know our life isn’t perfect, but there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about how lucky I am to have you.”

James leaned his forehead against Teddy. “I love you too,” he whispered, “I love you so much. And I don’t have a ring for you, but I will get you one because I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. I am the luckiest man in the world, everyday. With you. That’s what I know.” He smiled, bright and golden. “You’re worth way more than 150-points. Just being with you means I’ve already won the game.”

Teddy recaptured his lips in a searing kiss that was pure rose gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached the end of the journey. It's been an incredible ride! So much love to my beta WeakRevolution and all you amazing wonderful readers who stuck with Teddy and James' story to the end - if you are reading this you have my undying gratitude.
> 
> What did you think of the story as a whole? Did you have a favorite scene and/or chapter? Was there a character you really liked? Was there any part of this fic that was relatable to your life? I can't wait to hear your thoughts - Comments and Kudos are better than Christmas! 
> 
> What's next? Well, I have a Jeddy PWP that will be publishing soon, as well a few other projects in the works so stay-tuned. For updates, comments, and general chat join me on tumblr - https://micheleblack.tumblr.com/
> 
> 💛💚


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